One of the most bizarre stories of the year has a conclusion. The Mariners scout who bought ice cream for Jesus Montero and sent it to the dugout, leading to an explosive confrontation, has been let go by the club according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.
Butch Baccala, who was promoted to the position of national cross-checker last year, was angry about Montero moving slowly on the field while rehabbing during a game with the Everett AquaSox. Frustrated, he sent an ice cream sandwich (or according to some reports, a mini helmet full of soft serve) to the dugout for Montero, who came into Spring Training overweight for the Mariners.
Montero then left then dugout, threw his frozen treat at Baccala, and had to be restrained by an AquaSox coach. Montero was suspended after his outburst.
I think we’re getting to the point of no return with Montero in Seattle. He’s still young, and will be just 25 in November. But in the majors over his career, he’s hit just .258/.302/.396, showing none of the offense prowess that he did in the minor leagues. He’s still occupying a spot on Seattle’s 40-man roster, and if Montero doesn’t impress in Spring Training (or hell, even winter ball), I wouldn’t be shocked if the team looked to move him to another team, even to just gain some flexibility with their roster.
