Did Wade Miley's Refusal to go Gluten-Free Spur Diamondbacks Trade?

Celiac.com 12/19/2014 - News that the Arizona Diamondbacks have traded starting pitcher Wade Miley to the Boston Redsox has been met with rumors that Miley’s trade was fueled, at least partly, by his refusal to adopt a gluten-free diet.

So what’s the deal? Did gobbling gluten cost Wade Miley his job with the Diamondbacks?

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For his part, Miley, who was picked up by Boston last week, says he had butted heads this year with the Diamondbacks organization about not being gluten-free.

"After a while, they left me alone," he said. "But it was always that elephant in the room."

Without getting into specifics, Miley said that a gluten-free diet “might work for some people, but I didn't feel like it worked for me.”

So, according to Miley, his refusal to go gluten-free was an issue. But, was it an issue that got him traded? Diamondbacks GM Dave Stewart says that Miley’s diet was “never once discussed” by the team in the run up to the trade.

So, we may never know for sure just how much Miley’s refusal to give up gluten, or his attitudes about it, impacted his trade to Boston.

What many may wonder is whether right-handers Rubby De La Rosa and Allen Webst, whom the Diamondbacks acquired in the trade, will be giving up their taste for those famously delicious toasted Boston-style subs when they come to Phoenix. Will they be going gluten-free?

What do you think? Should a sports team be able to make its players eat a certain way? Is it healthier for athletes to eat gluten-free?