DECEMBER 18: That list was apparently the one in effect for 2015, as Crasnick now provides a list that, he says, will be in effect for the year to come. It is the same as the prior iteration except for four changes.
On this new list, the Braves, Reds, Royals, and Mariners have moved into the group of teams to which Papelbon can reject a trade. Meanwhile, the Giants, Phillies, Tigers, and Yankees are now among the clubs to which Papelbon may freely be dealt, without his authorization.
DECEMBER 15: Nationals reliever Jonathan Papelbon has the right to name 17 clubs to which he cannot be traded without his consent, and ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick reports on this year’s list.
Papelbon can block deals to the following clubs: the Athletics, Blue Jays, Brewers, Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Giants, Indians, Marlins, Orioles, Phillies, Pirates, Rangers, Rockies, Tigers, Twins, White Sox and Yankees. The league’s remaining teams can acquire the controversial veteran without his approval.
No-trade lists tend to reflect both personal preferences and strategic considerations. It’s hard to know the precise motivations here, but it’s worth remembering that Papelbon has previously made good use of his no-trade rights in exerting leverage. In approving the trade that sent him to D.C. last year, Papelbon received assurances he’d be used as the closer and picked up a guarantee of his 2016 option (though that would have vested anyway and he took a discount to facilitate the move).
While an exceedingly public spat with star Bryce Harper has led to wide speculation that Papelbon will be dealt, Nats GM Mike Rizzo has maintained that the team won’t simply cut him loose for whatever it can get. Papelbon is neither cheap ($11MM) nor young (35), but he’s continued to produce quality results and represents a fair value from a pure baseball perspective.
Which Sox would those be?
If you copy the text above, you get this – not sure why it’s not showing.
“Papelbon can block deals to the following clubs: the Athletics, Blue Jays, Brewers, Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Giants, Indians, Marlins, Orioles, Phillies, Pirates, Rangers, Rockies, Tigers, Twins, White Sox, Tigers, and Yankees. The league’s remaining teams can acquire the controversial veteran without his approval.”
Does he really need to include the Phillies on his no trade list? Surely he doesn’t think that they’d ever want him back, does he?
Pretty sure they mean White Sox. White Sox not Red Sox are tagged on the article and the Red Sox have already made it clear they want no piece of Pap.
Sorry, there was some odd formatting issue that left part of the list obscured. Believe it’s corrected now.
Except that Pap should be on every teams no-trade list…
Exactly. I have zero pity for any team that trades for Pap. They’ve been more than warned are going to get exactly what they deserve.
So no team deserves better numbers than Mariano Rivera in his first seven years as a closer? I literally looked at Rivera’s and Papelbon’s stats side by side in a seven year span and Papelbon’s was better.
I get it; Papelbon is a jerk. I wanted him gone on the Red Sox too, and he cost us some important games. That being said, his talent matches (and arguably surpasses) that of Mariano Rivera. For teams who don’t trade for Papelbon, you’re missing out on one of the best relievers in the game, despite his poor attitude.
No team deserves the kind of distraction Papelbon’s antics cause in the clubhouse. The reason no one considers him in the same breath as Rivera is because Rivera is a class act and Papelbon is a train wreck. Very few teams are going to be interested in bringing that kind of distraction to their team. he’s great when things are going fine, but once one thing goes wrong he’s like a powder keg.
Yes, just as I already said, any team that trades for Pap is going to get exactly what they deserve. He’s a “buyer beware” acquisition.
Hahaha better than Mo??? Seriously??? Not even close as Mo set the bar for closers. Don’t forget you need to remove his starts when your looking at his RP stats. But Paps can’t even hold Mo’s jock strap.
Prob end up in sd
Mariners, D-Backs, Tigers, Angels, and Padres all look to be fits .
I can see him becoming a tiger, angel, padre – or possibly a dodger (it would be fun to see him and puig on the same team – who will be hated more…)
Luis is the type of player that people hate cause when your a outsider and open your mouth you are TRUMPed but Papalon is just a cranky old man I would see the Cubs taking him as a setup man for Rondon and if he acts out 1 time say bye bye give Brendan Ryan for him a good defensive guy who they got for Castro now that trade works
I wonder how many teams out there have Papelbon on their no-trade lists.
All of them.
I count 14 teams on the list…
I guess my secret decoder ring wasn’t working…when you copy the text it shows the rest “Papelbon can block deals to the following clubs: the Athletics, Blue Jays, Brewers, Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Giants, Indians, Marlins, Orioles, Phillies, Pirates, Rangers, Rockies, Tigers, Twins, White Sox, and Yankees. The league’s remaining teams can acquire the controversial veteran without his approval”
Paps doesn’t want to go back to Philly? Har har.
If the Nats picked up most of his salary, I’d give him a try on the Angels. He is a f***’ing D-bag tho.
No Arizona is on his no trade list. Oh you meant actual D-Bag. hehe
As an angels fan, I don’t want him on the team
Yeah, that’d just cause the same problem with Street that the Nats caused with Storen.
I’m glad the Rangers are on his list, I don’t want a cancer like him on our team, even though it wouldn’t surprise me if they tried to go after him!
After Tolleson’s excellent season (except for running out of gas at the end), it’d be another Storen/Nats situation that I’d hate to see. Tolleson was a bright spot throughout the plague ridden 2014 and was even better last year. Trading for Papelbon would be a slap in the face. Tolleson has actually said it’s his dream to be a closer, so unless you trade for a guy like Kimbrel or Chapman, he’d probably feel a bit betrayed.
Be careful of Chapman he fires 7 bullets into a unsuspecting garage.
Angels could sure use him though
Scioscia would slam him threw a table
“Threw”?
As a fan of a team listed, thank goodness.
Even though the Cubs need bullpen help I want no part of him.
Cubs want no part of him either
I hear Chapman can be had for a bucket of baseballs and a .45.
Should send him down except why would you expose young talent to that….
If they are going to do that, they might as well release him. As a veteran (I think it is a 10 year thing, but maybe less), he has a right to declare free agency AND keep his full salary minus whatever a new team offers him if he is sent to the minors.
I think it’s 5 years of MLB service time gives a player the right to decline demotion and opt for free agency (may be wrong on 5 years exactly, but it’s around there somewhere)
It’s a 10-5 rule. 10 years of service and 5 with the same team. He just has a no trade in his contract.
Than maybe the young talent that aren’t that good will try to play better so they will get called up just to get away from him
I’m fairly sure with his experience that he couldn’t be sent down without his permission.
I believe that technically they could option him and he could, based on service time, refuse the assignment. But if I’m not mistaken, then it would essentially terminate his contract and he would become a FA with zero chance of making anything close to what he’s guaranteed at this point. I can’t imagine that the Nats would go that route, but it would be an interesting way to do it if they just wanted to be rid of him.
Rizzo’s ultimate leverage with Papelbon is the threat of Nats eating the $11 million and leaving Pap with no team to start the season. At some point, it should be expected that Pap’s no-trade list will diminish by a few teams. IMO.
He can refuse any assignment and his contract is guaranteed. There is no action the club can take to escape paying the money. If that existed you would see veterans dumped all the time. This is not the NFL
As a Giants fan, all I an say is…. WHEW!
As if he fits the type of player the Giants would trade for anyways. He’d mesh into that clubhouse like the proverbial pile of excrement in a punchbowl.
I am a bit disappointed to see the Rockies on there. I would have loved to be able to unload Jose Reyes for him. The Nats would probably take on his full salary as well.
I wouldn’t want him either, but still have a hard time will all the vile directed towards him, much more than a few other guys around the league the last few years could name.. Outright criminals, with decently long rap sheets who have come up through the Tampa bay Rays organization for instance (several). Wife/spouse beaters, which barely get mentioned. Actual serious stuff, which it seems these guys just get a nonchalant pass with many of you folks, as if it’s considered normal.. Well it isn’t where I am from…
Maybe because he talks how he feels sometimes? Is that what bugs so many of you? How about get over it.
Go fix the influx of criminals hiding in San Francisco illegally and other cities which hide them. Go talk about that..
What in the world are you babbling about?
gawd a reyes for papelbon trade actually… makes sense but they are both players that no one wants any part of right now
That’d be awesome, maroon Papelbon in Mile High. Reyes is fading, but he wants out of COL.
Padres and Mariners seem like a match on paper.
If the Diamondbacks want to go all in
Ziegler is great but could put him back in a setup role.
Maybe the Angels if they think it could work out with him and Street but
man are the Nationals in a tight spot.
Padres might be interested if Washington is willing to eat most of his salary just to get rid of him.
Seems like that’s what they’ll need to do if they want to unload him.
As an angels fan, Papelbon can stay in dc. The angels already sent gott to the nationals for escobar.
Rays aren’t on the list but wonder how the Rays fans would feel if they got him.
They would wonder why they are being punished
Padres: Tell you what, we’ll take Papelbon and his salary if you give us Trea Turner in exchange for James Shields, Guerra, and Bethancourt.
Any chance at all that could happen?
I have no idea why some of those clubs are on his list. Dodgers? Yankees? Orioles? Pirates? Is this a stat thing where he figures he wouldn’t get save opportunities?
Guess he wan’ts to close no matter what and would not be open to
accepting a trade to a team that has a definite closer.
well the angels already have street so he’s not a fit there
Not sure. He can’t block a trade to any team other than the above-referenced ones. Does the “assurance” he got when he was traded to the Nats that he would become the closer go with him if he’s traded to a club not on his no-trade list?
Why would anybody want this guy??He’s Just John Rocker V2.0!!!
Soooo…. he’s agreeable to a trade to the Reds? That would be a nice end-of-game combination — one guy who beats on his girlfriend and another who beats on his teammates.
Put their lockers side by side and watch the magic happen.
Heh.. Scratch that. Guess he has some pride. Updated list removes the Braves and reds, meaning he realizes they both reek and doesn’t want another Philly situation.
Royals on new list might mean nearly that entire BP is better than he is. Mariners kind of strange with them trading away Carson Smith and most of the rest of their pen (Wilhelmson, Farquhar), along with allowing old and finished Rodney to walk away. They might have been someone who would have taken him, had the Nats paid 2/3 (or more) of his salary.
What about the teams that have Papelbon on their no-trade list? Isn’t that even more important? 😀
LA should pick him up. He’ll do what LA’s front office wants to do to Puig if he starts acting up again.
It’s obvious -he picked almost all the contenders that might use his services-and the 3-4 worst teams (small markets)
I’m very happy to see the Yankees are on his list, I think any team would be lucky to have him not a part of it.
Well, Detroit would not want him either… I suppose.
you suppose? until the Nationals release him, and someone desperate can pick him up for league minimum, no one is interested in him. rumors to the contrary are just that, and have no basis in reality.
I am a braves fan and I love Paps. Harper needed to get choked out and Paps called him out . sure he’s a cancer but his performance doesn’t lie. He’s good. Plus they get paid to entertain and I don’t know about you guys but the guy is pretty darn entertaining.
John Hart is not impressed.
Too many mediocre players with lengthy no trade clauses. Guys like Jay Bruce and a fading Papelbon will be glad to just be on a Major League roster in about two years.
Papelbon for dickey and thole nationals could fortify their rotation with dickey salary are nearly identical
That seems to work!
That’s a better deal for Phil, but TOR might take that gamble.
and toronto needs bullpen help
Is there anybody, anyplace who doesn’t cringe when they hear that their team has been associated with discussions for Papelbon?
Mariners may be the best match in a sense that they want to compete now.
Cardinals don’t need or want him either
I could not be more pleased than to see the SF Giants on Papaleflop’s no-trade list
As an Orioles fan I’d like to thank Papelbon for not wanting to come to Baltimore.
Knowing Buck Showalter’s belief in team chemistry he’d probably kill DD if he even tried to acquire him.
Giants, Phillies, Tigers, and Yankees
Wonder why these teams are off the list now.
Phillies are pretty much a De Facto no trade team since I can’t imagine any reason they would take him back.
The others, who knows.
As a Braves fan I am fully ok with this.
I thought he had a full no trade clause…
As in no one wants to trade for him
I don’t see the Hiroshima Carp on this list. If I were the Nats I’d trade this $%^& there along with 1 billion yen to cover his salary and wish him a happy 2016.
Unfortunately any player can block a trade out of country(excluding to Toronto) so exporting him isn’t viable sadly.
too bad the reds are on that list – a 1 for 1 swap for chapman might actually make some kind of sense.
Please for the love of God, don’t come to the Giants! Don’t think Evans would be that dumb to bring him in. His ego and antics would not fit this club!
I am starting a donation site. Everyone pitch in their hard earned money. When we get 20 million we offer it to Papelbon to waive his no trade to the Marlins. Then we put him in the same dugout with Barry Bonds. We sell tickets and bet on how long it takes Barry to choke Pap Smear out. We could raise 100 million in one day.
This would clearly be a non-profit tax deductible program. I am willing to oversee the entire venture for absolutely nothing. All proceeds to go to a worthy cause like the United Nations or Help Kim Jong-un get a real haircut. Better yet we give the money to the Donald Trump “I’m not a bigot” Foundation..