Josh Harrison reports to Pirates' spring training, says he spoke 'from the heart'

BRADENTON, Fla. – Josh Harrison reported to Pirates spring training camp Sunday morning at Pirate City, saying his statement a day after the Andrew McCutchen trade questioning the direction of the team and requesting a trade came "from the heart."

"At the time it was on my heart," Harrison said. "Not to say that it's not on my heart now, but with each passing day it's something I can't dwell on. I spoke what I spoke. I said my feelings, but I can't control certain things. All I can control is me.

"I can't control what happens on my end as far as the business side. All I can control is my preparation for the season and what I do. I treat every season the same, in the offseason. I'm going out to prepare for 162 games and then going to the postseason and play for something meaningful. As far as the stuff, I can speak what I want to on it but I have no control on me going somewhere or staying here. We're all dealt different cards and I've got to play the hand I was dealt."

Josh Harrison reports to #Pirates spring training and addresses his statement last month criticizing direction of team & requesting a trade: pic.twitter.com/w2Di69sZUs

— Kevin Gorman (@KGorman_Trib) February 18, 2018

Harrison, 30, a two-time All-Star, didn't just lose two of his closest friends on the Pirates when they traded Gerrit Cole to the Houston Astros and McCutchen to the San Francisco Giants but also called them "the best pitcher and best position player on the Pittsburgh Pirates." That's why he demanded transparency with the club's direction.

"Every year, there's going to be guys who come in and guys who go out," Harrison said. "I've been here for a lot of it and a lot of it is you just want to know where you stand as a team and where you stand as a player, what's expected of you and what's expected of the team. Sometimes, that gets lost in translation, the human side of this game. We all want to win. I'm not saying nobody wants to win, but when you feel it's not the main goal of everybody, whether it's in the clubhouse or dealing with the organization, that's hard to be a part of, especially when it's only a fraction of our lives playing at the major-league level."

As the Pirates' longest-tenured player, Harrison said he felt a sense of obligation to speak out following those trades and voice his concern over whether the team wanted to win.

#Pirates second baseman Josh Harrison is filmed for The Show after arriving at Pirate City for spring training this morning in Bradenton, Fla. pic.twitter.com/VpTDmPJVsT

— Christopher Horner (@Hornerfoto1) February 18, 2018

"I'm a lovable, laughable guy on the field. Just because I haven't said much in previous years doesn't mean I don't have these feelings," Harrison said. "When somebody like me comes out to say anything, like, What's going on? It wasn't my place when Cutch was here because it would be just another voice drowned out. Once those moves happened … you just want to make sure everyone's on the same page. I care about winning, man."

Harrison's comments came two days after veteran third baseman David Freese said the club lacked accountability, a sense of urgency and the demand to win the past two seasons, following three consecutive postseason appearances from 2013-15. Harrison said he can play for the Pirates this season if he believes there is a commitment to win.

#Pirates ' Josh Harrison responds to trades of Cole and McCutchen. Story unlocked, free for all. https://t.co/nkdczVmXJk

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 16, 2018

"I'm going to be happy anytime I'm playing the game of baseball, It's what I love to do," Harrison said. "There's guys in that clubhouse that I'm really good friends with. I can't control being here or being anywhere else. My main goal is to make sure that wherever I am, they understand that I want to win. If that's not the main focus, I want to go elsewhere. But I can't control that. If their main focus is winning, let's do that. That's my main objective. I don't care how we do it but things need to be done. As Freese said the other day, it has to be urgent – and not just a couple of guys. It has to be from top to bottom."

Kevin Gorman is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at kgorman@tribweb.com or via Twitter @KGorman_Trib.