Mets' Cabrera blasts Guillen for shock Venezuela snub
Asdrubal Cabrera believed he would be suiting up for Venezuela at the World Baseball Classic in March.
It turns out that isn't the case.
The New York Mets shortstop was apparently told by Venezuela manager Omar Vizquel that he had a spot on the team, though that promise was rebuffed by general manager Carlos Guillen, who Cabrera called out in a comment on an Instagram post that prematurely announced he had made the roster:
Original Instagram comment by Cabrera says he won't be part of the Venezuelan team at all. #reporting pic.twitter.com/BGqsMkRRuE
— James Wagner (@ByJamesWagner) February 9, 2017
"Negative, I will not participate at the World Baseball Classic because manager Carlos Guillen is the most fake and least serious person that could exist as manager and it's a shame that Omar Vizquel, with all the respect he deserves, is accepting all this embarrassment," Cabrera commented in Spanish, as translated by theScore.
According to MLB.com's Anthony DiComo, citing Diario Meridiano's Jesus Ponte, Cabrera had already bought tickets for his friends and family believing he would be at the tournament.
It isn't the first time Guillen has drawn the ire of his own players in recent memory, either.
In December, prominent members of the Venezuelan squad, led by Felix Hernandez and Victor Martinez, threatened to boycott the tournament after Vizquel was axed from his managerial position by Guillen.
The stars' protests served their purpose, as Vizquel was quickly brought back by Guillen as Venezuela's manager two days later.