David Wright said yesterday he felt neither hurt nor betrayed by Fred Wilpon’s criticism of him in an article that appeared in The New Yorker. And the Mets third baseman said the principal owner’s comments won’t affect his desire to remain with the team long term.
Wright, the team’s de facto captain, also said Wilpon’s quote — in which he called Wright “a really good kid” and “a very good player” but “not a superstar” — won’t be a factor in his continued willingness to represent the organization off the field or support the Wilpons publicly.
“It’s somebody’s opinion,” Wright said, speaking about the story for the first time other than a short initial response via email after the piece was published.
“That’s not the first negative thing somebody’s said about me and it’s not going to be the last. I think to play in this market, you have to have some thick skin, and I feel like I have thick enough skin where I’m not going to let a comment affect a relationship or affect the way I go out there and play baseball.”
Despite Wright’s public stance, there may be reason to question a shift in his feelings toward Wilpon. During a 15-minute interview session before the Mets faced the Phillies last night at Citi Field, Wright did not mention Wilpon’s name once. He also said though he and Wilpon exchanged messages, the two had yet to speak.
Wright did speak to Fred’s son, Jeff Wilpon, and said Jeff apologized. Wright also said in Fred’s message to him, Fred said “that he misspoke.” When Wright was later asked if Fred’s message made him think the owner truly didn’t believe what he told The New Yorker, Wright couldn’t really answer, citing the message’s brevity.
Either way, Wright said the relationship between he and Fred is fine.
“Do I have a problem [with Fred]? No, I do not have a problem,” he said. “Obviously you don’t ever want anybody to say anything negative about you, but that’s not the situation that we’re in.
“You play baseball in New York and there’s going to be some negative things said about you, and obviously you prefer not [to have] the owner say that, but when it happens, you can either drag it out and get into a dispute with the owner of the team you love playing for, or you can put it past you and just chalk it up to a comment that was made, and an opinion, and move along.”
Wright, in the middle of a six-year, $55 million deal that includes a 2013 team option, refused to say he felt betrayed.
“I’m not going to let one comment necessarily change my perception of the organization that I grew up rooting for, an organization that drafted me, prepared me for the big leagues and allows me to go out there and play a game for a living,” Wright said.
The 28-year-old also said he still wants to be a Met forever.
“I love this organization,” he said.