A look at the human side to trade deadline reports and speculation

In this Twitter and social media age, where we are bombarded with instant news and information, this week must be a challenging one for some major league players. They are the subject of trade rumors and are asked constant questions about the trade deadline.

While no players are asking anyone to feel sorry for them - ye,s they make a good living - there is also a human element here.

No matter the salary, there are players in those jerseys. They have some of the same feelings, emotions and insecurities we all have. They also have families who are impacted when they change cities due to their job.

Recently Orioles manager Buck Showalter said the constant notion of calling certain teams sellers and others buyers was disrespectful to players. He made a similar point again yesterday.

"Someone was telling me about the kid (Wilmer) Flores (of the New York Mets) that was crying on the field. Something is wrong with the process there," he said. "Someone showing them their phone in the on-deck circle. These are human beings, not pieces of meat. Really bothers me when I hear, 'Are you buyers or sellers?' Don't use that around me.

"These are human beings that I am close with and I don't look at them that way. I know it's the reality of the business, but it's not like we're moving around slabs of bacon here. And I like bacon."

Orioles relief pitcher Darren O'Day knows about changing teams. The Orioles are his fourth different big league organization. Yesterday, I asked O'Day for his take on Showalter's comments.

"He's not far off there really," he said. "We don't ever talk about players' families and their kids. If you play in Miami and you get traded to Seattle, if your wife has a job or the kids are in school, it's challenging. We are not just commodities, we are people.

"And even just hearing your name out there. Some guys, it can affect them. They start worrying about where they are going to be, where they are going to live. It is natural for guys for start to worrying.

"The guy with the Mets, Flores, got emotional. I've seen guys get emotional. Seen guys get DFA'd and get emotional. You are basically getting fired. I'm sure people have gotten fired from their jobs and cried.

"I've been on four teams now and so I kind of know how it goes. You can find friends everywhere, and you'll fit in eventually. But for a guy that has come up with the same organization or never been with another team, it's really tough."

Then there are the families of the players who may hear and/or read the same rumors and speculation. There is more than just a ballplayer impacted in many of these trades.

"My wife has a great job in D.C., and we have an eight-month old daughter. If I got traded somewhere in California, it would be quite a strain. Especially when you have kids involved. It complicates things for sure," O'Day said.

But again, he is not asking anyone to feel sorry for him, he was just answering a reporter's question. O'Day knows of the social media time of instant news and information that we all live in now. Sometimes media speculation or reports prove to be not accurate.

"It is totally different than it was 10 or 15 years ago," he said. "It is a race to be the first to tweet it and get credit. Even if it gets tweeted erroneously, doesn't seem like there is much backlash to that. But yeah, that is the digital age we're in and you have to take the good with the bad."

O'Day said he has seen players' performances suffer because they were the subject of trade rumors.

"Yes. I know guys, it has taken a toll on them," he said. "They were worried about it. There will be a lot of guys, when the deadline expires, they'll let out a deep breath."