Jeff Passan got a playful jab from fellow ESPNer Eduardo Pérez during the network’s trade deadline coverage on Thursday for not having more breaking news.
On Friday, he got a not-so-playful jab from former Major League Baseball player Doug Mientkiewicz over a specific term he used in an X post discussing a trade.
In both instances, the MLB insider responded accordingly.
“Among the return to the Pirates in Bednar deal, per ESPN sources: Catcher Rafael Flores, who tore up AA, is now at AAA, is a top-shelf framer and regarded as a big league-ready catcher. A very good centerpiece. Also in it: Edgleen Perez, who is 19 with excellent swing decisions,” read a July 31 post from Passan in regards to a trade that sent pitcher David Bednar from the Pittsburgh Pirates to the New York Yankees.
Early Friday morning, Mientkiewicz, who has never been shy about calling out ESPN media members, responded to the post with a shot across Passan’s bow.
“Man what a time to be alive when a non baseball person writes ‘excellent swing decisions’ for a guy hitting 209 in A ball and is a career .241 hitter,” he wrote. “I swear some scouts and writers will say anything to sound somewhat intelligent to non baseball people.”
A few hours later, Passan responded, letting the former MLB player know that if he wanted to call down the thunder, well, now he’d gotten it.
“That description came from a scout, Doug. Do you hate them, too, or are you just bitter because batting average is no longer the metric people care about and it’s the only one you were ever good at?” asked Passan. “Stay bitter, guy.”
Mientkiewicz struck back, saying that media members like Passan only have a job because of players and baseball personnel.
“Glad you finally admitted that guy. Here is a line you should never forget. I can do what you do, you can’t do what the players do,” he wrote. “Bitter? Not at all. Without players you have no job. Without scouts you have zero knowledge. Don’t forget it guy!”
“It’s a good thing I’m trying not to play, Doug,” responded Passan. “The sad part is that you’re trying to think, and you are absolutely terrible at it. There’s nothing more sad than an old ballplayer who wants things to be like they once were and is too incurious to care the game passed them by.
“You had a good career. You were a good ballplayer. You did things I never could. That doesn’t give you license to say stupid things. I don’t know a lot — so I ask people who do. You think you know a lot — and those who actually do laugh at you.”
Mientkiewicz got in the final word, for now.
“It’s simple and you got your feelings hurt. Just because people comment doesn’t mean they are mad. It’s common courtesy to mention the people who gave you your info. I know plenty from experience as a player and as a manager and coach,” he wrote. “You speak of laughing at me? If you don’t think some players and other respected writers don’t laugh at you that’s comical. It’s simple. Just give the people giving you info the credit like you give the players credit. Simple.”
We’re gonna give the win to Passan here. The MLB insider lived up to his X profile description and bombed atomically with his zingers, while Mientkiewicz seemed to move the goalposts on the point he was trying to make.
The battlelines between players and the media who cover them remain drawn, and there will always be interesting discussions to have about who gets to say what with authority. Still, we didn’t see any issue with Passan’s initial post that started all of this. He was just doing what Eduardo Pérez wanted him to do.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.