The Major League Baseball non-waiver trade deadline passed on Tuesday afternoon with the Minnesota Twins not making a deal but that doesn't mean things were calm inside the Minnesota club house.
As the deadline approached there was speculation from media outlets that Twins centerfielder Denard Span would be part of a deadline deal. The MLB Network would then report that Span used a no-trade clause in his contract to nix a trade to the NL Central Division leading Cincinnati Reds.
According to this report from 1500 ESPN, Span is relieved to make it past the trade deadline and remain in Minnesota, but he also denied using his no-trade clause to stop a deal.
"You start hearing crazy stuff from reporters," he said. "I don't want to say making stuff up, but miscommunication. That makes it worse. Social media doesn't help. It's the combination of a lot of different things that gets your nerves and adrenaline going. ...
"My brother texted me. I was in bible study. He texted me. This is after the MLB Network came out (and mis-reported) that I rejected a trade. He texted me to ask me how I was doing. I said 'I'm fine.' Then he goes 'Was it an easy decision?' I was like 'What are you talking about?' 'They said you just rejected a trade. What happened? I was like 'That's not true.' I had to explain to him that it wasn't true and all that. It was just a whirlwind."
That whirlwind is over now for Span, so after exhaling and returning to baseball, the centerfielder led off the bottom of the first inning for the Twins on Tuesday night against the Chicago White Sox and singled in his first at bat.
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