Daniel Murphy has walked away from his old teams, but not his past comments that spurred controversy.
Murphy, traded on Tuesday from the Nationals to the Cubs, was asked Thursday to address comments he made in 2015 while with the Mets about former MLB player Billy Bean, who is openly gay and serves as the league’s Ambassador for Inclusion. Murphy said at the time he “[disagreed] with his lifestyle” and “the fact he is homosexual.”
The second baseman would not say directly if he had changed his opinion of Bean’s sexual orientation in three years, but he did say he and Bean are on good terms.
“What I would say to that is that I’ve been able to foster a really positive relationship with Billy Bean since that time,” Murphy told Chicago reporters after the Cubs’ 7-1 win over the Reds. “I’m really excited to continue to cultivate that relationship that we’ve built.
“Billy, his job I think is Ambassador for Inclusion with Major League Baseball is a vital role so that everyone feels included, not only in our industry in baseball, but in all aspects of life.”
Murphy was then asked what he would tell a gay Cubs fan who might stop rooting for the team because of Murphy’s presence.
“Oh dear. I would hope you would root for the Cubs,” Murphy said.
The Cubs did not take Murphy’s prior comments lightly, going so far as to seek Bean’s opinion on Murphy before following through on the trade with the Nationals. Bean has said his decision to retire early from the sport, after just seven seasons in the majors, had to do with not feeling fully accepted by his teammates.
“We wanted to get his impression on it,” Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer told the Chicago Sun-Times on Thursday. “He was really positive and thought the organization could really benefit from his presence. We felt it was important to make that phone call.”
Murphy, a devout Christian, has done well at the outset to endear himself to the Cubs with his play. In two games, the three-time All-Star is 4-for-10 with one RBI. He is hitting .305 with six home runs and 30 RBIs on the year, after sitting out for the first two-and-a-half months of the season while recovering from offseason knee surgery.
“Again, I hope that anyone that comes to Wrigley Field feels welcome,” Murphy added. “That’s my hope. That’s the hope of Major League Baseball. And speaking with Billy Bean — again, like I said, the relationship that we’ve been able to forge — that’s what he’s trying to do.
“I think that’s what we’re trying to do as an industry. We want people to feel welcome, whatever walk of life that might be.”
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