I was traded twice during my big league career. Once from the Cubs and once to the Cubs. Both times there were rumors swirling around about what might happen.
This was also before the instantaneous world that makes up both traditional and social media today. An environment that has made the speed of the delivery of the information a critical part of the success of that information.
But to a player, a rumor has always been powerful enough to generate doubt about his future and impact the relationship he believes he has with his organization. If left unchecked, even when a rumor is untrue or even intentionally misleading, it can lead to a breakdown in a key line of communication between team and player.