Hoyer and Carpenter Weigh in on Compensation

The story is now a couple hours old, so the media has had the opportunity to speak with Carpenter and Hoyer.  Bud Selig also issued a statement.  Contrary to some of the stories out there the compensation deal was finalized by the two teams, not Bud Selig.  I’ve included a number of quotes from Carpenter this morning, as well as Hoyer.  Both parties were very complimentary of one another.

Carpenter’s Comments:

“I guess my name will go down in history,” Carpenter said.

On the Potential Move

“It’s something you could kill yourself thinking about all the time, so you just don’t even think about it and you just go along and if it’s you, it’s you,” he said.

After the Move

“As soon as they called me into the coaches office, I kind of had a feeling about what was going on,” Carpenter said Tuesday. “I can’t say anything bad — I appreciate everything the Cubs have done for me. It’s been a great organization over the past four years. I’m looking to going to Boston and helping them win now.”

On Epstein and Hoyer

“In the short time I’ve known those guys, they’re great guys and I appreciate everything they’ve done for me,” Carpenter said.

Additional Quotes

Said Carpenter: “If you’re going to pick two teams to play for, why not be the Cubs and the Red Sox? You can’t complain about that.”

“It was kind of surreal, like a little shock,” Carpenter said of his first reaction. “They talked me through it. Our coaching staff, they’ve been traded before and they told me things to expect and just be positive. That’s where I’m at right now.”

Jed Hoyer’s Comments:

Video of Hoyer Discussing Compensation 

On Selig’s Involvement

“The reason the Commissioner was potentially involved at any point was because there is such a lack of precedent,” Hoyer said. “It’s such an unusual move. I think both sides are very happy that he didn’t have to decide the matter and the two teams decided the matter themselves.”

Hoyer on Carpenter

“It wasn’t a guy we were hoping to give up,” Hoyer said. “We knew there would be compensation and both sides deemed that fair.”

“Chris is a very good reliever and a difficult guy to lose,” Hoyer said Tuesday. “I think we all realized we would lose something of significant value when Theo came over here. I hope Chris has a lot of success over there. Obviously, the Cubs are excited about the new management team with Theo leading it. There was a price to be paid for that and that price is Chris and we all felt that was fair. He is talented and we wish him luck.”

Bud Selig’s Statement

“I am pleased that the Cubs and the Red Sox have resolved this matter,” Selig said. “It has always been my preference that Clubs resolve matters like this amongst themselves, as they understand their unique circumstances better than anyone else could. Though the matter required time, both Clubs demonstrated professionalism throughout their discussions, and I appreciate their persistence in finding common ground.”

 Lot’s of good stuff there, we will post more information as we get it.

Thanks for reading,

- George Cotugno