Kevin Correia Wants Traded? Is He Stupid?

A few weeks ago, I wrote a little spoof about the Pirates "Zoltan" phenomenon, in-which I compared it to the nWo wrestling angle from the late 90's. In my skit, Pirates' pitcher Kevin Correia was a heel similar to what you'd see in any wrestling show.

Well, maybe I missed my calling as a wrestling booker, because Correia has suddenly become a bit of a malcontent in the Pirates' clubhouse.

The Pirates acquired lefty Wandy Rodgriguez from the Houston Astros last Tuesday, and that meant that someone had to be removed from the starting rotation. That someone turned out to be Correia, who was moved to the bullpen where he has assumed the role of long reliever. Yesterday, Correia came in for the struggling James McDonald and proceeded to give up four earned runs in two-innings in a 9-5 loss to the Astros in Houston.

After the game, Correia expressed his disappointment with the move to the bullpen and said that he wanted to be traded.

First off, I'm not surprised that Correia is unhappy with the decision to move to the pen. As others have said, Correia did win his last five starts. However, it's not like he was lights out in those five games. In fact, he was barely getting out of the fifth inning in most of them. He has a 4.24 ERA. We're not talking about Justin Verlander here.

Secondly, why would Correia be so quick to react? He's obviously going to get a few more starts before the season is over. McDonald just had his fourth consecutive poor start yesterday in Houston, and who knows what his issues are. Also, Erik Bedard is only 5-11 and Jeff Karstens just came back after missing a significant amount of time with an injury. The Pirates five-man staff is far from etched in stone.

And finally, what about the prospects of being part of something special? I mean, I can see being angry and looking for a trade if you lose your spot in spring training, but to insist upon such a move at the end of July when your team is three games up in the wild card standings and only three games back in the division just screams of selfishness.

At this point in the season, Kevin Correia should be concentrating on doing whatever the team needs him to do so they can make it to the playoffs. If I'm the Pirates, I don't give in to his demands and I tell him that he's here to stay, like it or not.

Be a good guy, Correia. Don't be a heel.