2:30pm: Baker told reporters, including the Washington Post’s Chelsea Janes (Twitter link), that Papelbon initially incurred the injury while warming up on Sunday. There’s no set timetable for his return right now, nor do the Nats have a designated closer to step into Papelbon’s place. Baker noted that he likes Shawn Kelley quite a bit (via MASNsports.com’s Mark Zuckerman, on Twitter) but noted that the team is being careful with Kelley’s arm due to the fact that he has twice undergone Tommy John surgery in his career.
1:17pm: The Nationals have placed right-hander Jonathan Papelbon on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to yesterday, with a strained right intercostal muscle, per a team announcement. Right-hander Matt Belisle has been activated from his rehab assignment to take Papelbon’s spot on the roster. Remarkably, MLB.com’s Jamal Collier points out that this will be the first DL stint of Papelbon’s Major League career (Twitter link).
The Nats neglected to lit a specific timeline for Papelbon’s return, though Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post tweets that skipper Dusty Baker will chat with the media within the next hour, at which point further information should be available. It’s not immediately clear who will inherit the ninth inning during Papelbon’s absence, although Shawn Kelley has been far and away the team’s best short-stint reliever this season, having pitched to a 2.70 ERA with 13.1 K/9 against 1.9 BB/9 in 23 1/3 innings. Those numbers trump even Papelbon, who currently is sporting a 3.28 ERA with 6.9 K/9 against 2.9 BB/9 in a similar workload of 24 2/3 innings. Other considerations could be Felipe Rivero and Blake Treinen, though Rivero has struggled quite a bit of late and is sporting an ERA north of 5.00 at the moment.
[Related: Updated Washington Nationals depth chart]
While there’s no guarantee as to how long Papelbon will be out, the injury raises further questions about the back end of the club’s bullpen. It’s no secret that Papelbon’s peripheral stats have declined in recent seasons; his current strikeout rate, average fastball velocity (90.7 mph) and swinging-strike rate (9.5 percent) are each career-lows, and the aforementioned 2.9 BB/9 rate is the highest it’s been since 2010. Papelbon’s ERA remains serviceable, to be sure, but metrics like xFIP (4.74) and SIERA (4.23) paint a far less-favorable picture.
The Nationals have been oft-connected to a shutdown reliever on the trade market, with both Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller mentioned as targets the Nats hope will become available. The injury to Papelbon only figures to increase the amount of chatter surrounding their hunt for a formidable ‘pen arm — especially if he is to expected to miss more than the minimum 15-day requirement. As MLBTR’s Jeff Todd pointed out last week in running down some of the top trade candidates from around the league, there figures to be a large number of relievers available this summer, whereas many other positions will be considerably more difficult to fill.
Enter Rodney?
First DL stint ever? Dang. I thought he had gotten hurt once but it must have just been something that cleared up with a couple days rest. Maybe he can undergo an ego-ectomy while he’s on the DL.
Lopez, Franco, Severino and Soto for Chapman?
For two months of Chapman, Lopez alone should do it.
Except Papelbon will not be resigned and Chapman is 28 and will be signing a free agent contract through his prime years. Washington should trade for Chapman and give him Papelbon’s $ and a few more million to get to what he wants (15 mil AAV seems to be consensus). With that being said, NYY trades Refsnyder, Chapman and pays all of Chapman’s remaining $, (around 5 mil). Washington trades Trea Turner.
Yes, Papelbon will not be re-signed. However, Chapman is basically a rental, with no guarantee the Nats could re-sign him after the season.
There is no way Washington will trade six years of their shortstop of the future, Trea Turner, for two months of Chapman and Refsnyder (when they already have Murphy at 2B and Zimmerman at 1B for the foreseeable future).
The comp for Chapman’s value is the Orioles giving up Eduardo Lopez in 2014 for two months of Andrew Miller. At the time, Lopez was ranked in the 60s of the 100 top prospects, very close to where Lopez is currently ranked.
They love Espoiniza and his strikeouts. If the Bats don’t make a move they can say goodbye to another year if Papelbon is out for an extended length. Besides its only a 4-5 million difference between Papelbon and Chapman’s expected salary, so having first dibs at offering him a deal will make signing him easy. What’s 4 more mil for a guy who doesn’t fight your franchise player.
“… for a guy who doesn’t fight your franchise player.”
Don’t need to choke someone when you’ve got a gun.
I’m not saying the Nats won’t go after Chapman as a rental (with an eye towards signing him long-term), simply that they are not giving up Trea Turner to do it. They have many other pieces they can move. And by the way, are we even sure the Yankees will be selling?
They allow guns in the dugout…. I need watch more games. For Trea Turner yes the Yankees will sell. For Chapman any team will buy. The question is cost and the difference in signing Chapman long term. 4 million more for a guy who throws more 100 mph pitches in a season than the rest of the MLB combined is an easy choice.
Lopez, Franco, Severino and Soto for Chapman.
Great timing for Yanks and bad for those cubbie fans with there awful trade proposals. Yanks bullpen arms just went up in value boys.
Here’s a trade idea that Cashman floats to Theo with Nats waiting in wings to pounce.
Great offer for Cubs:
Cubs get Gardner to replace Schwarber, Chapman, and Headley plus 15 mill for Happ and Baez.
Cubs can trade or platoon Headley in a Baez type role and play Gardner in left.
Chapman becomes there dominant lefty closer.
Losing Happ as there only farm prospect is a win win and Baez is blocked anyway and Yanks can use Baez in utility role.
Once Theo says no I can’t lose Baez Yanks turn to Nats and help rebuild there bullpen and thus Cubs go another year with no World Series.
Cub fans you are on the clock, gotta give to get and please no more of those awful trade proposals you been sending all week giving up nothing more than Vogelbach and few double A arms all not rated in anyone’s top 100 prospect list for one of the Yanks big arms.
So just pointing out I am a fan of neither team, but you want Cubs to take on 2 additional contracts (($60M total in contracts after the $15 payment) in blocked players they do not need? On top of that give up one of their better players and top 3 prospect, number 68 on Top 100.
If I am Theo I would rather have a pre arbitration player blocked and be super utility than Headley and Gardner. Just another opinion.
How is there no mention yet of this being Dusty Bakers fault for not managing the bullpen correctly?
I’m not a Yankee fan but you have to give Cashman credit for the can’t lose trade for Chapman. If the Yankees are in it, AC is the closer at the end of a shutdown bullpen. If he’s a seller, he’s got at least 2 starved for a WS title teams that just happen to need a closer and have lots to trade.