The unintended fallout from Saturday’s report in Venezuelan newspaper Diario Panorama regarding free agent Marco Scutaro is yet another cautionary tale of what can happen when Hot Stove news is misinterpreted.
Augusto Cardenas, who conducted the interview with Scutaro, wrote in a series of “tweets” that the Red Sox, Dodgers, Mariners and Rangers were among those interested
in the 34-year-old infielder. According to the report, Scutaro was
approached about playing shortstop for the Red Sox, second base for the
Dodgers and third base by other teams.
Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times, who spoke to Cardenas on the phone, took this to mean that the Mariners and Rangers were the teams to contact Scutaro about third base, a rather curious development from the Rangers’ perspective with Michael Young expected to be the starter.
Jordan Bastain, who relayed the news via MLB.com’s Hot Stove Blog, quickly corrected the error, but the rumors made it far enough that that Rangers general manager Jon Daniels was forced to address the rumblings with Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News.
“We haven’t inquired about anyone for 3B and have no plans to,” Daniels wrote in an email. “End of story.”
Saturday’s Hot Stove lesson? The game “Telephone” can be just as dangerous, if not more so, over the series of tubes that is the internet.
