“I’ve never talked to that [author] Jeff Passan guy in my life, so that’s an interesting accusation,” Kintzler said on “Grant & Danny.” “I know for a fact that someone got him to admit his source was not a player, so it wasn’t me. I’ve never talked to that guy in my life.”
Theo Epstein was on ESPN 1000 Wednesday and he brought up another interesting detail, saying Passan actually called him and also said that he'd never spoken to Kintzler.
https://twitter.com/BleacherNation/status/1024690389603835904?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1024690389603835904&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fsportsmockery.com%2F2018%2F08%2Freport-new-cubs-pitcher-traded-because-he-was-a-snitch%2F So, it really does sound like that story was made up and that's a real bad look for a team trying to hurt a player's reputation. Yet, Kintzler has received support from his former teammate Sean Doolittle, who said the following after the trade.He felt at home. Teammates got along with him. He was close with Doolittle and Max Scherzer, often bouncing ideas off them. He played the role of pitching coach, helping Tanner Roark and Gio Gonzalez with their mechanics during their struggles this season. His presence was felt.
“He helped me a lot in my career just in the years that we spent together so I’m going to miss him,” Doolittle said. “We’re going to miss his ability on the field. I think we’re going to miss him in the clubhouse as well.”
Kintzler made his Cubs debut Wednesday night and pitched 1.1 innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates, walking one, giving up a hit and he also recorded a nasty strikeout.
https://twitter.com/Cubs/status/1024837587893186561 After the 9-2 win, Kintzler went on about the report and wanted to clear the air. https://twitter.com/PJ_Mooney/status/1024861333534244864?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1024861333534244864&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bleachernation.com%2F2018%2F08%2F02%2Fbrandon-kintzler-makes-effective-cubs-debut-takes-issue-with-anyone-claiming-hes-a-divisive-clubhouse-presence%2F https://twitter.com/PJ_Mooney/status/1024862159082319872?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1024862159082319872&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bleachernation.com%2F2018%2F08%2F02%2Fbrandon-kintzler-makes-effective-cubs-debut-takes-issue-with-anyone-claiming-hes-a-divisive-clubhouse-presence%2F The Cubs are happy to have him and obviously they did their background work on Kintzler, so all is well. Plus, he's pretty good as is and that is ultimately what will matter the most at the end.
