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Today’s story will give you a behind the scenes view of the Rocky Wattson mess. For those that do not know, Wattson back to Chicago via trade in 2054. When arriving, he signed a “legacy” contract, which said as follows:
Somehow, it is 2056 and Chicago legend Rocky Wattson is a free agent. How did this happen? How does the 1st Legacy Contract go so poorly? How does a “management team” that preaches consistency… lack consistency? To really understand this, we need to give the full background of the 2054 reunion and what happened afterwards.A Legacy Deal with the Chicago Black Sox is very rare. It is offered to a veteran player who has a strong history with the organization. Legacy deals are considered Lifetime Contracts. With Wattson, Chicago has promised to continue offering him one year deals until his retirement, as long as he is semi-productive with the team
It is August 5th, 2054 and Chicago just traded for Wattson in return for $1. Upon arriving in Chicago, Wattson is met by GM Kevin Chmura & manager Alberto Sanchez. Over the next several hours, Chmura, Wattson and Sanchez met to discuss the future strategy. It was all about Wattson being the face of the team while a rebuild happens. It was about how Wattson would have his number retired and as long as he is healthy, he will have a spot on the roster. The conversation ended and everyone was aligned on the goals. By August 25th, Wattson committed to play in 2055.
Fast forward to April, 2055. Wattson made the team and was performing relatively well. He was platooning at DH and 1B with Abu Wamukota and Ralph Knowles. By June, things were still in a good spot and Wattson committed to the 2056 season with a one year extension. All was going to plan and around this same time, Chicago announced plans for the Huntsville Phantoms to become a minor league team for them in 2056.
Things, unfortunately, started to derail in July. Wamukota suffered an injury, which led to Frank Collins being promoted. Today, Frank Collins is a household name. Last year, he was a fringe prospect that needed a strong year to keep a roster spot. With the promotion, the lineup now consistently featured Collins and Knowles, with very little of Wattson. This was not what Wattson signed up for and not what the plan was.
2055 season ended and Wattson held a closed door meeting with Chmura. During the meeting, sources say Wattson expressed his displeasure for the way Alberto Sanchez manages and would like to figure a way to stay in the lineup in 2056. At the time, Chmura aligned and said he would work on it.
There was no contact between Rocky Wattson and the Chicago Black Sox from mid-October 2055 through January 2056. No phone calls, emails, texts, nothing. Wattson had the meeting with the General Manager and no follow-up occurred.
On February 12th, 2056, the Chicago Black Sox held a ribbon cutting and reveal for the Huntsville Phantoms. During this event. General Manager Kevin Chmura and Rocky Wattson both attended. Chmura revealed the stadium to be named after Wattson, which was an emotional surprise for him. After the ceremony, Chmura & Wattson talked. Wattson bluntly asked where do things stand heading into 2056. Surprised, Chmura responded “Didn’t Alberto call you a few months ago?”
As it turns out, after the end of season meeting, Chmura asked Manager Alberto Sanchez to reach out to Wattson and talk through strategy in 2056. Sanchez never made the call. When asked for comment on this story, Sanchez declined and called this article a “hit piece”.
Heading into Spring Training, Wattson again met with Chmura and expressed his displeasure in Sanchez as a manager. Wattson emphasized that he cannot play for Sanchez and asked for his release. Chmura, surprised, granted the request, but told Wattson he will always have a spot with the Chicago organization.
Wattson went on to sign with the Brooklyn Robins and played a month in Triple-A. After that, he requested he release citing a lack of desire to play. Chicago signed him to a minor league contract with no plans to play him, but rather keep him around the organization throughout the year.
This is where things got weird. After a month of being part of the organization, Alberto Sanchez demanded that Wattson be released. Sources say Sanchez was infuriated that Wattson was visiting the minor league teams and that Wattson was not part of the coaching staff.
Those close to General Manager Kevin Chmura believe that Chmura has faith Sanchez can turn the team around within 1-2 years. Fans, on the other hand, have asked for Sanchez to resign. Once this story gets out, I am sure there will be more fuel to the fire.
