Local father waits until morning to tell rest of family about Chris Gimenez trade

News of Thursday’s Twins trade didn’t get to Rich Meyer until 9 pm.

“I was working late, and getting out of Minneapolis was a mess with the Fair and the Gophers (football) game,” said the White Bear Lake human resources manager. “Once I got home, I just wanted to hang out with the kid and have a bite to eat.”

With his son Tyson put to bed, Meyer checked his phone and saw the alert: The Twins had traded Bobby Wilson to Cubs for former Twin Chris Gimenez.

“I mean, that’s the kind of news that hits you where you live,” said Meyer. “No amount of sugarcoating will suffice. He’s gone. Bobby Wilson’s gone.”

Meyer said he considered going back to his son’s bedroom to tell the news, but thought better of it.

“Tyson loves the Twins, but he was at the State Fair all day with a church group,” said Meyer. “He was out like a light. Tyson’s mom was watching Netflix, and she seemed to be really into whatever she was watching.

“I figure why not let them live a little while longer in an older, better world. Where they don’t know.”

Wilson was on the disabled list after turning his ankle last week. Gimenez was playing for the Triple-A Iowa Cubs. Should Wilson return to health, he may have a chance to take part in a pennant race, but that’s cold comfort to Meyer.

“All I know is, I gotta get up in the morning and shatter my family’s world. I may not sleep at all tonight, but I envy them both. They’re still sleeping in the old reality. A comfortable lie may not seem preferable to brutal truth, but you don’t want to see your family hurting.”

Meyer did hold out hope that Gimenez’s history with the Twins would lessen the sting.

“Yeah, my wife called him ‘Shirt Guy’ when he played for us, because he always had a couple buttons undone on his uniform. She’d be like ‘Hey, there’s Shirt Guy. Why’s he pitching, he’s not a pitcher?’ Tyson would laugh.

“Times were simpler then.”