Jake Cave Sounds Salty in First Interview After Trade to Rockies

The Philadelphia Phillies surprisingly traded outfielder Jake Cave to the Colorado Rockies over the weekend ahead of the roster cutdowns for Opening Day. Cave was competing for a bench spot along with the likes of Christian Pache, who is much better defensively in the outfield than the 31-year-old.

Since Cave didn’t have any more options left, the Phillies felt trading him to another team where he could have an opportunity to play instead of being subjected to waivers in hopes of staying in the organization.

The former Phillies outfielder met with Denver media on Monday and didn’t sound too happy about being traded toward the end of Spring Training.

“It’s definitely a surprise, especially when you get down to this late in camp,” Cave said (h/t Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post). “You don’t know what’s really going to happen. You never think a day left in camp, they’re going to trade you.”

Cave doesn’t seem excited about being let go by the Phillies, especially after spending last year with the big-league club and their Triple-A affiliate. Last season, he hit .212 with five home runs and 21 RBI in 65 games with the Phillies.

The Rockies aren’t at the same level as Philadelphia right now, as many expect Colorado to be one of the worst teams in baseball. From a competitive standpoint, it's understandable why the 31-year-old feels a way about the trade.

However, with Colorado not being a great team on paper, the veteran outfielder could get some consistent at-bats, which would be hard for him to get with the Phillies, who have Bryce Harper at first base and many options in the outfield.

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