Lead Story - 6/16/2019 Levi Ford Tells All on His Time in San Diego (PLUS ENSUING DRAMA)(Interview transcript with Ken Rosenthal)
Ken: “Levi Ford is arguably one of the better catchers in baseball and secured this by signing a 4 year, $80 million contract with his former team, the St. Louis Cardinals. His former team, Jay Slater’s San Diego Padres, did not like the move, stating that he left without listening to the Padres and stating on social media in late December “I cant believe traitor Levi Ford took the money. WE MADE YOU Levi.” For the first time since his decision, when he returns to San Diego for the first time, Ford is here to talk about his decision and why he made the move back to St. Louis. Welcome Levi.”
Levi: “Thanks for having me Ken.”
Ken: “Now, let’s get right to it, you’re in a perfect position, great team structure, set to win a World Series for a number of years, what made you decide to head back to, of course, what we presumed was, a rebuilding team?”
Levi: “Well, it was less a matter of “going to a rebuilding team”, rather a place that would make me happy. This is the organization that drafted me, spent time in the big leagues for, what, nine years, and I loved it here. I never asked to be traded, my play forced the Cards to trade me for whatever they could get. The Padres were the team that made that sort of offer, what can you do?”
Ken: “When your contract with the Cardinals was announced, Slater and other executives went off, saying you didn’t give them a fair chance, that you’re a traitor, that they made you into the star you are, what do you say to all of that?”
Levi: “Well, that last part is a load of, for a lack of a better word, bullcrap. There have been plenty of late bloomers over the course of major league history. Are you trying to tell me that every single late bloomer, matter of fact, no, every single player that gets drafted by your organization and plays there for seven years owes you to stay there for the rest of your career? No. The way it works now, you get 4 to 5 years to develop a player. If the player decides he has a better chance to win elsewhere or max out his money elsewhere, that is their decision. It’s called “free” agency for a reason.”
Ken: “What was the offer that the Padres gave you, because it seems like that’s where this stems from?”
Levi: “I came into the offseason thinking, “if they disrespect me with their first offer, I’m not resigning here. It’s a wrap.” And that’s exactly what they did. A two year offer is what they gave me, $7M, then $10M the next year. I didn’t respond to the email. And you can’t blame me. The process I just mentioned? I did not have that luxury. I had a long contract, no incentives, no nothing, mainly bad advice from my then-agent. Endorsement deals weren’t really flying in San Diego because the sponsors went to guys like Bo [Bland] and Elder and Valez, the more marketable guys. I’ve had to wait 13 years to get a big payday. I was not going to stay and have my worth dictated by them. Nobody has time to “owe you”. Did David Ortiz owe the Red Sox? No. Did Jose Bautista owe the Blue Jays? No. Why do I have to owe you for sh*t? And how are you going to be that salty about it when you got someone much better than me.”
Ken: “Okay, well, besides the contract dispute and the comments, were there other things that influenced you?”
Levi: “What do you mean?”
Ken: “I mean, was there anything else that made you decide you were leaving San Diego?”
Levi: *takes time for thought* “Don’t get me wrong, I loved the city, I loved my teammates, I loved playing at PETCO. But I didn’t like the higher ups in the organization. I felt like they wanted you to act a certain way, but not the way you think. Instead of most teams that scream for you to limit the time you give to the media, they WANT you to scream to the media. They want you to be the center of attention. I’m not going to be that guy. I’ll speak to you, I’ll have fun on the field, but doing things just for the sake of attention? Absolutely not.”
Ken: “Can you elaborate further?”
Levi: “Of course. Interviews like this, they want you to do. They want you to call out teammates and the manager. They want you to go off about players on other teams. They do it to get us fired up, which is a weird way to do it, but it’s whatever. However, the whole sh*tstorm with the Dodgers, Ian [Cretella] or not, doesn’t happen without that sort of mindset.”
Ken: “So the bad boy vibe that followed the Padres is because of that?”
Levi: “Absolutely.”
Ken: “So then why St. Louis when the owner for them is known for...interesting decisions, to say the least?”
Levi: “I mean, other than the reasons I stated before, the team that drafted me, blah blah blah, they were the only other team to offer a contract of my liking (Ken laughs). But also, they might be “different”, but there isn’t pressure to NOT be yourself, you know. And as I just said, there was a lot of that in San Diego.”
Ken: “Well as it stands, you’re a part of a team that has eclipsed maybe everyone’s expectations. All of us in the media thought maybe the Cards had to wait another year or two, but it’s late into the season and you sit above the Astros by four games. Can you take me into that locker room, what has happened to create such a swift turnaround for this organization?”
Levi: “There’s a mixture of youth and veterans, so that always helps. But the main reason is because there is a mission in all 25 men—and woman—on the roster to beat their individual challenges, whether given by the media or themselves. There’s Akria [Maeda-Matsui], who’s having the season of his life. Ian [Cretella] has finally proven himself to be a star, but now he really wants a ring. Phoenix [Lightman] was basically given up on at the age of 22 by his old team. Ivone [Simoes] is opening the gate for other women hitters in baseball. Point is, everyone has their challenges, and we’re channeling all that energy into winning ballgames.”
Ken: “Do you think you have a chance to win a World Series?”
Levi: “Absolutely. Once we hit that period, it’s almost always a free for all. As a team, we are well prepared for this postseason.”
Ken: “So let me ask you this. Let’s just say hypothetically, the Cardinals miss the postseason the next three years and the Padres win the next four World Series. Would there be any regret in your decision?
Levi: “Absolutely not.”
Ken: “Not even slightly?”
Levi: “Nah. (retracts) Okay, maybe a little bit.”
Ken: “Well, thank you for coming on, good luck this series and the rest of the year.”
Levi: “Thank you Ken.”
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