MESA, ARIZ. ? Dusty Baker reached out to Sammy Sosa after he was traded, seeking to understand why his relationship with the former Chicago Cubs slugger fell apart at the end of last season.

“I got hold of him and we had a short conversation. I wished him well. I did ask him, I said, ‘Hey, man, I’m still bewildered about what happened and why,’ and he didn’t really have an answer,” Baker said Thursday before Chicago’s first workout of the spring.

“He said, ”It’s in the past, good luck and God bless you.’ And that was the extent of the conversation.”

Sosa left the clubhouse early during the regular-season finale and the next day criticized Baker, saying he was tired of being blamed for the Cubs’ failures. He later said he was humiliated by being dropped to the sixth spot in the batting order, even though he was slumping.

The Cubs finally shipped out their disgruntled outfielder, trading him to the Baltimore Orioles earlier this month.

“I did ask him exactly why he felt the way he felt and he didn’t respond. He didn’t say anything.”