Former Marlins/Tigers starter Dontrelle Willis has filed a grievance against Baltimore, claiming O’s GM Dan Duquette had promised his unconditional release prior to the veteran left-hander leaving the club’s Norfolk affiliate (AAA) last Friday. Pleading his case to MASN.com’s Roch Kubatko, Willis explains, “I talked to my representative and talked to one of the reps from Baltimore, as far as granting my release, and then all of a sudden I’m hearing I’m on the restricted list.”
“From anybody on the outside looking in, it raises eyebrows, like there’s something wrong at home, wrong with me. It’s not that way. I thought it was a mutual parting of ways. It’s one of those things where, if he had told me he was putting me on the restricted list, I wouldn’t have left. I didn’t grab my book bag and run out of the class. I’m almost dumbfounded. I’m not even upset. I don’t know if it’s personal because I don’t know Dan.”
“I don’t understand. I’m a guy that, and you can ask anyone who’s dealt with me, I don’t want any problems with anybody. I just want to play baseball and do that and go home. I don’t understand what’s really going on. I don’t know if there’s been a miscommunication there. Not with me. I talked to my agent and we talked about it, I talked to the proper representation, I talked to Dan personally. It wasn’t by text or phone where there could be a misunderstanding. There were others in the room. It was face-to-face. I don’t know what’s going on. And now if I want to sign with another team, I can’t.”
Rumors are circulating that Willis has an offer from a team in Japan and another one in Korea, but his agent, Matt Sosnick said there are no offers from “foreign or domestic teams.”