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By Jeff Todd | at
Email a copy of 'Reactions To The Jonathan Papelbon Trade' to a friend
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petfoodfella
It’ll be interesting the first time Pap blows a save in DC.
NotCanon
Hasn’t happened yet this year, and only 12% of the time over the last 3+ years combined (driven primarily by an 81% in 2013).
But agreed.
Vandals Took The Handles
Why?
dgarrett32
Even better: when he blows a save against the Phillies at Citizens Bank
raef715
actually, the Phils have a decent number of mediocre back of the rotation types around between AAA and AA right now so not that exacted about another one.
at least Phils fans can fully hope for Papelbon to blow saves now, and since our team sucks going back again to enjoying seeing how the Nats will manage not to win once again.
NotCanon
I think this is a particularly interesting situation because Storen is arb eligible next year, and FA eligible the next. Does getting yanked around this much inspire him to instruct his agent not to sign any long-term deal with Washington?
Especially since the reduced number of saves will doubtless affect his potential arbitration earnings next year?
Vandals Took The Handles
Good point. But the priority in DC is to win and get to the WS. They aren’t in business to cater to individual players – and that includes Harper. If Soren feels he needs to close and he wants to play out his option in a year or two to find a team where he can do that – fine – that’s how the system works. Rizzo will have someone else ready.
A few years ago Joe Smith was a set-up man that could have gone out as a closer. He got a nice contract from the Angels to be the chief set-up pitcher. When their closers failed, he had a string of saves as he took over the role. But the Angels needed a deeper pen. They acquired Huston Street to close and moved Smith back to set-up. No hard feelings. The team keeps winning, people are getting paid nice salaries, life is good.
Jonathan T.
How are papelbons numbers versus the mets? I can only remember 3 blown saves versus them. The homer from Omir Santos, the homer from Jordany Valdespin, and Murphy’s hit off of Paps leg.
max l
This has Rafael Soriano 2013-2014 written all over it for the Nats.
Vandals Took The Handles
Like Yunel Ecobar before him – once Papelbon gets with his new teammates in the Nationals environment, the “he’s bad in the clubhouse” and “he’s a cancer” nonsense will be forgotten.
Like the Cardinals and others, the Nationals have built a group of team leaders and a winning culture. Everyone just needs to do their job and the team will win. If guys can do more – great – but no one player has to feel he has to carry the team. Veteran players getting in those environments thrive if they have ability. If they can’t do the job in a reasonable period of time, accountability kicks in and Rizzo brings in others.
mockcarr
What cracks me up is the way everything is always spun. Rizzo was quoted as saying that the 2014 bullpen was “finesse”, we assume that means it needs more hard throwers, and now he gets a ground ball-dependent closer to replace the guy who K’s 10.9 a game. Closing is BS half the time anyway, but I’m dubious that Williams will ascribe Storen to the fireman role his talent deserves. Storen getting his agent doesn’t bother me any, after all if Papelbum can carp his way into a trade where he can get his option year and close, why can’t Storen still ask for closer money for 2016? Even with creative accounting, It seems to me they traded Clippard last year for making too much money as a setup guy, and now they’re repeating the scenario.
Jeff Todd
I bet Storen gets regular 8th inning duty and gets to pick up a lot of holds, at least. You’re right that he can say and demand what he wants just as Papelbon did, but it’s quite different: the Nationals don’t want to move him, while the Phillies needed to. And Papelbon had a no-trade clause that gave him the right to demand what he did. Good for him for earning it in the first place (not that they shouldve given it out).
As for Clippard, I really do think they wanted Escobar. That deal came in mid-January, so it wasn’t like they were just getting what they could for Clippard to dump his salary. I do think the dollars played a role, but I believe they were mostly motivated b/c they wanted a second baseman who could slide in at short in 2016 if need be.