On if he’s upset that it happened …
“I don’t think upset is the right word. Underachieve? Yeah. I wasn’t as healthy as I’d like to be. That’s been my focus this spring, to be healthy so I can do what I’m able to do. Anytime you’re weighing [shoulder] surgery options in the offseason before the second year of a contract – and maybe I should have done it, maybe that would have been the best-case scenario – but I feel fine now.”
On why he thinks he was released …
“This day in age, it’s what have you done for me lately. Regardless of leading the team in quality starts until the All-Star break, two starts later, three starts later, I’m cast off in the bullpen. Granted, there were a lot of horrible games in there, but there were some good ones, too.”
On deciding not to join the Florida Instructional League during the postseason …
“I weighed my decision very carefully before I was given the opportunity. I was not going to make the playoff roster, obviously. I haven’t pitched in the big leagues since whenever, July. And they say, ‘Well, go down and get in shape.’ Give me a [expletive] break. What do you want me to say? You want me to swallow another pill? For what? Waste two weeks down here where I can go spend two weeks with my family? Yeah, sure, I’ll go up there for the World Series. Hey, I’m up on the float. ‘Boo, [expletive] you.’ Great. Would that be any fun for anybody? No. In that regard, not sharing it with my teammates. But it was nice to see them on TV. They’re world [bleeping] champs.”
