Stallings on leaving Pirates: 'It's sad, honestly' taken at PNC Park (Pirates)

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Jacob Stallings.

Jacob Stallings was in Dallas, taking a five minute break during the ongoing Collective Bargaining Agreement between the owners and players association. He was there acting for the Pirates’ players as the team’s union representative.

During that break, he found out he wasn’t representing the Pirates anymore. He had been traded to the Marlins.

“It’s sad, honestly,” Stallings said over Zoom to Pittsburgh and Miami media. “It’s the only organization I’ve known. As much excitement as there it is to go to Miami, there’s obvious sadness in leaving the organization I’ve known. I think probably most players experience that to some degree when they’re traded. I’m going to miss the people. I’m going to miss my friends, teammates and stuff. It was hard. It was hard to get the call. It’s sad.”

The move caught him, like most Pirate fans, off guard, even as he saw many of his fellow teammates get traded over the past two seasons. With three years of team control remaining before he could hit free agency and coming off a Gold Glove win, he seemed to be a staple of the Pirates’ rebuilding process. It’s part of the reason why he was able to emerge as a clubhouse leader over the past two years.

But whispers began Monday morning, and soon after he was dealt for pitchers Zach Thompson, Kyle Nicolas and Connor Scott.

“I certainly didn’t know anything was imminent,” Stallings said. “I wasn’t aware of it until yesterday, when the rumors started to swirl.”

“I knew it was a possibility,” he added shortly after. “But I think in my head at least, I always was thinking that I would be there and playing those scenarios out in my head. Like maybe they’ll keep me around and want me to back up [first overall draft pick] Henry [Davis] when he’s ready. Just those thoughts instead of getting traded. I just tried to be where my feet are.”

The trades brings a sudden end to Stallings’ decade with the organization, dating back to being taken in the seventh round of the 2012 amateur draft. While he was never considered a highly-rated prospect, Stallings work and development, especially after he reached the majors, made him a late bloomer. For a team that is relying on player development, he was one of their go-to examples of how players can get better if they are determined.

During the Zoom, Stallings expressed his excitement about going to Miami, but his impact back in Pittsburgh will still be felt even as he departs.

“I told Ben [Cherington] this yesterday, I said the same thing to Neal [Huntington] and Clint Hurdle before them, ‘Thank you for the opportunity. I’ll forever be grateful for that. For believing me.’ I wasn’t ever sure that I was gonna get to play Major League Baseball. Everything from here on out is kind of icing on the cake.”

And as for what he’s hoping he left behind in Pittsburgh and the impact in the organization?

“I just hope that the people there within the organization and outside of the organization, fans, teammates, staff, all felt like I treated them well and treated them with kindness. That’s all I really care about, to be honest.”

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