Chicago Cubs: When star players get more leeway than others

Former Chicago Cubs catcher Miguel Montero’s dismissal from the organization should serve as a reminder that talent alone matters.

Miguel Montero voiced his frustration about giving up seven stolen bases in a Chicago Cubs‘ 6-1 defeat to the Washington Nationals on Tuesday night. He had a right to be visibly upset after all. It wasn’t a very good night for both Montero, nor the rest of his teammates.

Unfortunately, calling out another teammate’s performance when things go south isn’t considered professional. The right way to handle blame cast upon you is to acknowledge your mishaps for the night and move on from it. That’s how baseball works. There’s usually another game to be played the next day.

Whether Montero truly deserved to be dismissed from the Cubs’ roster, following his comments about Jake Arrieta on the mound is open to debate. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about Montero’s lack of stardom.

Montero’s lack of stardom sealed his fate

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Montero never possessed the star-studded status that players like Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo have. He was always a reliable, clutch hitter for the Cubs. But his defensive woes often made Montero become an afterthought most nights.

This leads to the puzzling reality of all sports. Not just in baseball. If you are a star player, you instantly receive more leeway than others. More leeway to speak your mind, while rarely having to face harsh ramifications because of it.

Case in point: look no further than at former Chicago Bulls’ guard, Jimmy Butler. How many times did he cast blame onto his younger teammates last season, after his team blew a fourth-quarter lead?

If Anthony Rizzo blamed a Cubs’ loss strictly onto another teammate’s plate, would the organization immediately part ways with him? Not at all.

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Sure, Rizzo is locked up on the Cubs’ roster for multiple seasons. Still, if he, or even Kris Bryant, said what Montero told reporters after Tuesday night’s game, and both were in the midst of one-year deals, like Montero was, would Theo Epstein really dismiss either of them from the team?

Probably not. Because ultimately, what matters most to an organization is winning. You can’t win many games without having star talent on your roster. Montero was expendable to this team whether he talked bad about his teammates or not.