'Did this really happen?' Social media breaks news to newest Marlins

MIAMI -- When Dee Gordon first heard about being traded, he was taking part in a baseball field dedication in Los Angeles for the Dodgers.

When Mat Latos first heard about the possibility of being traded, he had been sleeping.

Love it or hate it, the news cycle has become 24/7 thanks to social media. Sports reporters break transactions on Twitter, especially during the offseason.

Over the past month alone, players involved in various deals by the Miami Marlins have found out they were either headed to or leaving South Florida in a variety of ways.

Gordon's aunt had called his cell phone when his name popped up on TV, wanting to find out more. She was able to get through to him despite the limited service. When she let him know, it came as a surprise. He didn't have access to his Twitter and Instagram accounts at the time.

''She called me and said, 'I don't have to travel anymore. You just got traded to the Marlins,' '' Gordon recalled. ''I was like, 'OK, cool.' That was crazy. I actually had to call my agent. 'Did this really happen?' And he was like, 'Yeah.' But then it took the Marlins five hours, and I was panicking. I didn't know if it was going through.''

The All-Star second baseman was ready to board a red-eye flight back to Florida when he got the call. He asked for his bag back and went from Los Angeles to San Diego to meet the front office and media at Winter Meetings.

Thousands of miles away in southwest Asia, right-handed reliever Chris Hatcher found out he was part of the Dodgers trade when first baseman Justin Bour told him. The pair was overseas for the organization's visit with U.S. troops.

''I got a bunch of texts from my girlfriend when I got off the plane and she told me, 'Oh my God. Hatch got traded,' '' Bour said. ''I just walked over to him and was like, 'Hey, man, do you have your phone?' 'No, why?' And I was like, 'You just got traded.' It was almost like he knew it was coming. He said he told his wife he knew that was going to happen.''

Right-hander Jarred Cosart, who exchanged contacts with Gordon in Triple-A and has known him for nearly two years, is no stranger to this bizarre new world of breaking news.

This past August, the Marlins acquired Cosart in a six-player trade with the Houston Astros seconds before the trade deadline.

''It's really crazy with guys like Ken Rosenthal and everyone getting the inside information before anyone else,'' Cosart said. ''I saw I was traded to the Marlins on his Twitter before I spoke to the GM in Houston that day. I think it just shows the advancement social media has taken in the past years and that anyone within shouting distance has the power to leak it at the click of a button.''

A similar situation developed for Bour leading up to his big-league debut on June 5, 2014. He had received a text from infielder Jeff Baker before his Triple-A manager could tell him the news about his call-up.

Evidently word had already reached Twitter.

''It's weird,'' Bour said. ''With the (Michael) Morse signing everyone on Twitter knew it before the Marlins even said it. It's different.''

On the final morning of Winter Meetings, Latos' wife elbowed him in the back to wake him when she saw reports of the Detroit Tigers in trade talks with the Cincinnati Reds.

Latos looked at his phone and didn't have any calls from his agent or the Reds, so he went back to sleep. Thirty minutes later, his wife elbowed him again saying the Marlins were interested. He got up and turned on the TV.

The uncertainty, the unknown, turned into a waiting game. Latos, who admitted to not watching any sports channels, found himself in front of the TV awaiting his fate.

''When you honestly think about it it's kind of like -- imagine waking up one morning (and) you haven't even showered yet and gotten the day started and somebody calls you and says, 'Hey, by the way you're moving to Toronto' -- just as an example,'' Latos said. '' 'Pack yourself and you're gone.' It's just a matter of waking up and basically finding out that your whole life is, 'See you later.' ''

You can follow Christina De Nicola on Twitter @CDeNicola13 or email her at cdenicola13@gmail.com.