Reds fire back at Mat Latos' comments

GOODYEAR, Ariz. — When he was with the Reds, it was hard to miss Mat Latos. The pitcher was not only a physical presence, he was gregarious and boisterous.

Even with Latos across the country, he made noise in the Reds' clubhouse on Monday, the day after an article with scathing accusations about the Reds' training staff, management and former teammates.

"If this was a court of law, the cross examination would go after the credibility of the witness," said Reds starter Homer Bailey.

Said veteran Skip Schumaker: "It's really disappointing because we have a really good training staff, one of the best I've been around. I've been around a long time. I'll just say it's addition by subtraction and I'll leave it at that."

On Monday, Latos told writers in Florida that he was taking a break from talking to the media.

Both Reds manager Bryan Price and general manager Walt Jocketty spoke about the FOXSports.com article where Latos was quoted as saying he was rushed back from a knee injury to the team. Latos had knee surgery on Feb. 14 of last season and started the season on the disabled list. He then suffered elbow soreness during a rehab start at Double-A Pensacola and didn't make his 2014 debut until June 14, when he threw 99 pitches in six innings against the Brewers. He allowed just two hits in that outing.

Sunday, Latos told Ken Rosenthal, "I went along with it because I wanted to be out there. I figured they knew what they were talking about."

On June 6, the day Latos was told he would have to make another rehab appearance before making his season debut against the Brewers, Latos said he was upset the Reds were holding him back.

"It's pretty bogus I have to go on another rehab assignment. But it it is what it is. I don't make the decisions around here. I'm a puppet on a string. I get told to do what I need to do and I do it," Latos said in June. "I can tell you I'm about as healthy as I've been. I could pitch in a game if I needed to. "

Not only did Jocketty and Price defend the team's medical staff, so too did other players. Like Latos, catcher Devin Mesoraco started the 2014 season on the disabled list. Mesoraco had a strained oblique to start the season and then went on the DL with a strained left hamstring at the end of April.

"This was really the only thing I wanted to say, those guys in there do an unbelievable job," Mesoraco said on Monday when asked if he was pushed back to the lineup too soon. "I fought and fought and fought to say, 'Hey, I want to play Opening Day.' They kind of held me back. They wouldn't let me get to the point — just because they knew how much time it took to heal. For him to say that they're rushing people to get back in the game couldn't be further from the truth. "

Jim Edmonds, who joined the Reds at the end of the 2010 season, criticized the team's medical staff the year after his injury, saying he wishes he had never played for the Reds.

Latos praised three former teammates by name — Sam LeCure, Joey Votto and Ryan Ludwick — but made broad accusations about others, without naming names. However, he accuse the "closer" of sleeping in the clubhouse. He also said the clubhouse lacked a leader since Scott Rolen and Bronson Arroyo left.

"Mat's no longer with the team, so at this point I'm happy with the guys we have in the room and focused on this year," Mesoraco said. "Whatever he wants to say or thinks he has to say is fine."

The Reds sent four players to San Diego for Latos in December of 2011, and in three years in Cincinnati, Latos was 33-16 with a 3.31 ERA in 81 starts. Entering his final year of arbitration, the Reds traded him to Miami in December in exchange for right-hander Anthony DeSclafani and catcher Chad Wallach. The Marlins went to arbitration with Latos, and beat him. He will earn $9.4 million in 2015 instead of the $10.4 million he requested. Latos will be a free agent at the end of the season.

Latos also criticized the Padres in the interview with Rosenthal, something he'd done in the past.

"I don't remember specifically what he said, but I think he made some comments when he left San Diego, too," Jocketty said. "Consider the source."

As far as individual accusations, Price and others said they wouldn't go line-by-line to discuss them.

"I'm not going to get into a he-said, she-said environment, all I can tell you is a lot of things came out that shined a really negative light on our organization and that is unfair and inaccurate," Price said. "We have outstanding leadership from ownership through the front office, through the coaching staff, training and medical staff and we have outstanding, quality, high-character people in our clubhouse. We have our own imperfections, as does every other club, but this is a first-class organization and it's ridiculous we even have to discuss something of this nature that would shine a negative light on this organization, because we've done nothing to deserve it."

Said Jocketty: "There might have been a couple of things that were exaggerated — more than a couple… There's no reason to go there."