4:13pm: The Red Sox certainly appear to have fairly strong interest, as manager John Farrell told reporters today that he has spoken with the former Boston standout. Though it isn’t immediately clear whether the club has an offer on the table, that level of dialogue suggests there could be a match.
11:53am: Via Bruce Levine of 670thescore.com/CBS Chicago, Cubs manager Joe Maddon said he hasn’t been told of any talks with Papelbon but also wouldn’t totally discount the notion of the right-hander joining the Cubs (Twitter link). Red Sox skipper John Farrell, meanwhile, more strongly hinted at the possibility that Papelbon could join his club (Twitter link via MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM): “We’ve talked about it, there’s some real strong points to ’Pap’ that could be an addition here.”
9:37am: Recently released Nationals right-hander Jonathan Papelbon is nearing a decision and is likely to sign with a new team in the next 24 hours, reports Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. Bradford doesn’t specify how many teams have made an offer or are showing interest in the 35-year-old.
The Nats cut Papelbon loose last week, and he’s been somewhat speculatively linked to the Cubs, while Bradford reported not long after his release that Papelbon would welcome a return to Boston. (Notably, he writes today that it’s not clear if the Sox have any interest in a reunion.) It seems likely that Papelbon will land with a contending club, as there’s little sense in a rebuilding team adding a 35-year-old to its bullpen just seven weeks before he hits free agency. And from Papelbon’s perspective, joining a club with a shot at the postseason is a logical course of action.
There are plenty of red flags surrounding Papelbon, who has seen his fastball velocity, strikeout rate, walk rate and ground-ball rate all trend in the wrong direction over the past couple of years. The result in 2016 was an earned run average that quickly ballooned from 2.56 to 4.37 after he allowed nine runs in 3 1/3 innings over his final five outings with Washington. Many have questioned Papelbon’s clubhouse presence over the years as well, particularly following last year’s dugout altercation with Bryce Harper, but Nationals teammates defended Papelbon’s character to to the media following his release, and Cubs lefty Jon Lester gave him a nice endorsement as a teammate just yesterday. Beyond that, whatever team signs Papelbon would only need to pay him the pro-rated portion of the league minimum for the remainder of the season, so the most he’d cost a new team would be just $130K through season’s end.
As a Red Sox fan I’m slightly intrigued. I wonder if using Pap less might not produce better results. There was the Harper thing, but Harper is a challenge on a good day. But then there’s the other part of me that thinks the Sox should run as far and as fast from Pap as possible.
“Harper is a challenge on a good day”
Can you please elaborate on this?
Sure. Harper is a total whiny spoiled brat. Pap went too far, but he didn’t randomly decide to do it, Harper did something.
So the guy that brought up that he doesn’t like getting hit in retaliation for his pitchers hitting guys is the guy that’s “a whiny spoiled brat”
Not the guy that intentionally throws baseballs at someone’s head and when someone voices their (correct) opinion that it’s dumb, chokes them.
Sound logic there
Yes he did got his butt kicked . One player heard Harper say hit me with your fist I love getting my butt whooped.lol
I just meant in general, Harper is a brat. Papelbon shouldn’t have choked him, but there’s no way Harper said “How about you don’t do that because I don’t want to get hit tomorrow.” It was definitely along the lines of “No way idiot. I’m gonna get hit tomorrow if you go out and drill him. You’ll probably miss anyway…”
I think he is saying Harper is a head case
Harper definitely has an ego
Basically it means “I’m old and I get grumpy when kids come to the majors and are really good at baseball”
It’s kind of hilarious coming from a Red Sox fan. Their most beloved player hasn’t runout a pop-up since before MLBTR existed and show boats every thing he does
There just may be a slight difference between a 40 year old with bad feet not running out a popup and a kid in his prime not doing the same thing. But that wasn’t really my issue. Harper is a punk regardless or whether he runs out a popup. I’m fairly sure Pap didn’t just run up to him and strangle him for not running out a popup. Not to excuse that behavior, but you’d better bet that Harper threw gasoline on that fire.
I’m assuming you’re a millenial, like Harper. People of this generation value freedom of expression and individuality above everything else. Disconnects like this are what create nasty gaps between the generations. Unfortunately, you guys come off like spoiled, entitled brats because you challenge everything, including what is and what isn’t appropriate behavior. I do find it comical how obssessed millenials are with social media and trend following. Kinda undermines your need to buck conventions with the whole sheepish me-too thing you guys got going on. But I digress… Harper just needs to shut up and show more respect for the game that he has the privilege to play.
Blah blah blah he batflips so he’s the worst
Punk or not…. The boy can play.
As far as I’m concerned our most beloved player is Dustin Pedroia. The man who’s never slacked off for a single pitch.
But we never hear anything in the news about Trout or Kershaw, the 2 most mature players in the league. Some players need to grow up ( harper, puig).
You forgot to add “…and get off my lawn!”
You can assume what you want, but you’d be wrong.
I can just realize that players that played when I was growing up are no different than they are now.
The issue was the “kid” didn’t think throwing a baseball at someone’s head on purpose was smart, especially knowing he’d be the one to get hit the next day.
The “adult” thinks throwing balls at people because he doesn’t like them is okay.
So you’re siding with Papelbon because he’s old, even though he was the childish one in the whole situation.
I initially thought the same thing (Pap to Sox) but then I realized at this stage of his career Pap is an overpaid Matt Barnes with an ego. Pass.
Edit: On second (third, really) thought, Pap is more like an overpaid Koji with control problems… and an ego. His velocity is down and he lives on his splitter. A poor mans Koji is the better comp.
” the most he’d cost a new team would be just $130K through season’s end.”
Still overpaid? I don’t see why they shouldn’t take a chance on him.
I disagree. He has less than one bad season and everyone says he’s washed up? He has better numbers throughout his career than Mariano Rivera had during the same number of years.
Please don’t mention Pap and Mo in the same sentence. Pap had a long stretch of dominance in his career. Mariano dominated his entire career.
I’m only indicating what the stats show. You’re right, Mariano has had success longer, but papelbon’s career isn’t over yet, and his stats are strikingly similar to Mo’s through the same number of years pitched.
They may be similar today but I can guarantee you they won’t be similar if Papelbon pitched til the age of 42 like Rivera did.
I actually prefer Mariano and think he’s a way better pitcher, but all I’m saying is the numbers don’t lie based on careers through the same number of years. I used to get frustrated whenever Papelbon blew up, but honestly, his numbers were still very good year in and year out (aside from a couple of years).
With that being said, Mariano is better on every facet including character.
The thought of Papelbon back in Boston makes me smile!
And everybody else ion the American League too !
He had a fair amount of bad luck but he was leaving all his pitches up and with his arm, that’s gonna end badly. He ought to be able to get his control back but even earlier in the year when his numbers were good his saves were exciting. If you like to live on the edge, you’ll love him; He benefits from time off in-between appearances but he’s still cross-your-fingers material..
Without question it will be the Cubs, they sign any pen arm with a pulse. It should be fun to watch this unfold.
I don’t know about that. I think it’s a better chance it’ll be the Tigers or Pirates
Ha ha. As a cub fan ,sad but true. Wish we kept Rodney.
He could be a solid addition the the Tigers’ pen. If we use him in low-leverage situations and eventually ease him into 7th/8th inning duty
But if you’re fighting to get into the playoffs, why do you want a guy who has to be used at first in low-leverage situations? There’s not a ton of time left for working a man back into a position of relevance…
True. I don’t envision him coming to Detroit or any other city if he’s not going to be a set-up/closer. Boston makes the most sense at this point
I wonder if he could be a nice addition to the Marlins after they lost A.J. Ramos.
Pamplona sucks. Enjoy the twilight of your career never closing out a game again, ya loser.
Very factual post, thank you
How is he a loser when he has a WS ring? Pap has more talent in his big toe than you could ever dream of possessing. What have you accomplished in your illustrious career? Being a Jay/Rays fan says it all.
I thought they said that school had started?
Hey, Spain is a great place. Especially in the summer.
Papelbon has always said he only wants to be a closer. Nobody (that I have seen) has reported otherwise. So unless Papelbon is prepared to take on another role we can narrow the predictions down to a team that will slot him in the closer role. Would the Cubs do that? Guessing the Pirates would?
Giants, possibly.
As a Dodger fan we would LOVE that!
Ok two questions for ya:
1. Why would Papelbon go to a non-contending team?
2. Why would a club that’s in sell mode sign Papelbon to close? Sorry, but that makes no sense.
Good question, here’s my answer. The Nat’s (a contending team) didn’t want him and ate his salary to get rid of him. That doesn’t exactly look good for him and it doesn’t help his value in the market. Clearly they couldn’t trade him so it seems like the Nat’s couldn’t even get a “player to be named later” for him.
His reputation is that he’s a bad clubhouse guy (I don’t know if that’s true, but that’s the reputation and it affects value and demand). He hasn’t pitched great that too affects his value and demand.
To answer your first question, he would go to a team (even if they don’t contend) that lets him close so he can establish his value as a *closer* for next year. Why? Closers get paid more money.
If he goes to a contending team and doesn’t close then he can quickly be labeled as a middle reliever and they don’t get paid the same amount of money. Unless it’s the Dodgers and you’re signing Brian Wilson. 🙂
A non contending team probably doesn’t need Papelbon but I’m not sure a contending team needs him either. He’s not exactly considered an elite player and many people seem to think he’s done. So your second question is valid unless the non contending team trades an expensive closer who clears waivers (I don’t know if there is anyone out there that fits that bill).
Ideally he would want to go to a contending team AND close but I’m not sure there are too many contending teams that need a closer badly enough to *guarantee* him that role and want a potentially toxic guy in their clubhouse.
Look at the Giants for example, when Romo went from closer back to setup guy he said “I’ll do whatever the team needs me to do”. When Peavy went to the pen he said “I’ll do whatever the team needs me to do”. Teams want guys like that, not guys who say “Either I close or I don’t play” or in Papelbon’s case wouldn’t approve a trade to the Nats unless they made him the closer. That does not make him look like a “team” guy, it makes him look like a “me” guy.
The Nats intended to DFA him and possibly could have received “something” in trade for him (lottery ticket), but he requested an outright release so he wouldn’t have to remain in DFA limbo for up to 10 days. The Nats accommodated his request.
As for where he will end up, most contending teams would not immediately place him in the closer role, but I believe he would rather play for a contender in a setup role than be the closer on a non-contender. The days of him saying “either I close or I don’t play” are long gone. He knows very well that if he goes to the Cubs or Red Sox, he will not supplant Chapman or Kimbrel. Knowing that, will he refuse to sign with them? I think not, but it looks like we’ll find out fairly soon.
Pap is 34 years old with a ring. I highly doubt he’s interested in auditioning with some mediocre, non-contending team where he’ll get very few appearances. He’s a cheap get at this point for a team looking to add depth fir a playoff run, and that’s where he’ll end up. The only way he increases his value is to accept a setup role for a contender.
He’s cheap enough, but would he be effective enough? He’s likely not going to tolerate anything but the marquee slot, and he’s likely worried about his next contract. For that price, you could bring him in, and if he fails, DFA him a few weeks later. The risk, however, is that if you are a contending team, every game may be precious.
Lester has been missing someone to eat KFC and drink beer with?
Is that the same Lester that has 2 WS rings?
Think wrote this here before, but just in case..
When Ralph Houk took over managing Boston in ’81. one of the things he ceased, that was allowed under Don Zimmer? Ordering IN GAME pizza delivery to the clubhouse. I remember that, because was a big deal of it made during spring training that 1st spring of his.
Food delivery has been going on for some time, imagine a wee bit of beer also for pitchers who were not scheduled to pitch, only a media on hper drive (hello new england) always blows it all way up, especially when said team goes from 1st place like that 2011 team did at the start of August 2011 and falls like they did. That media was scrounging for scapegoats everywhere.
Right. It’s those narratives that loved to get pushed in Boston. For some reason Red Sox fans eat it up like I’ve never seen.
Lol. If people only knew the vices that went on in MLB clubhouses prior to, say, Y2K (give or take a few years), their heads would explode. It makes chicken and beer look like a Disney movie.
True story, Darryl Strawberry used to have one of the clubhouse kids go get girls that he (Strawberry) would pick out in the crowd. The girl would come back to the clubhouse and he’d bang many of them in the janitors closet.
Keep in mind, this from a time when there were very few cameras, not everyone was a mini-paparazzi with their camera phone, and men could be men, however.
Now, this country is a femnazi paradise, and you have to apologize for breathing and standing up when you take a piss.
If this happened now, I’m sure Strawberry would be banned from the league, possibly jailed for “hurting” women, all clubhouses would have to be sealed up during every game, swat teams would need to be brought in to guard them, and he’d have to get approval from some clam organization to enter with a keycard.
I’d think that any of the teams who are actually looking at adding Papelbon have to be weighing his potential benefit as a pitcher against the potential detriment to the team’s locker room. If he is added to a team and falters with the attitude issue negatively impacting a team’s play off picture then it may very well be the last time ever a team seeks to add him down the stretch.
As someone who dislikes the Sox, would love to see Pap back there.
Don’t be shocked if it’s the Cardinals. We have a lot of injuries on top of Maness going on the DL today
I’m afraid you might be right. Not that I really care about Papelbon’s personality, it’s just that he isn’t very good at pitching.
This seems like a no-brainer… Not only does Dave Dombrowski ignore character issues in the clubhouse, but he also takes great pride in building bullpens with only the best names of yesteryear.
Any team that signs Papelbon is proving they are beyond desperate and do not have enough relief talent to assure a good playoff run.
The Cubs and Giants have both signed Joe Nathan this year coming off of Tommy John surgery. Good teams are always looking for another arm in the pen to get some outs.
I would think after Zambrano and Milton Bradley, the Cubs would no longer be in the psychopath market.
Cubs would sell their soul to the devil to Win !
Although It’s a clear sign Cubs really lack confidence going forward.
What? How is trying to strengthen your bullpen “lacking confidence”? I just don’t want the guy because he’s a head case, and has repeatedly shown he can’t pitch more than 2 days a week.
Someone firing a couple of rounds in his garage after a fight with his significant other wouldn’t be considered a psychopath. I mean he was never convicted of anything.
Please please sweet baby lord Jesus go to the Cubs and meltdown at a key moment in postseason dooming the Cubs to yet another year of failure per annual tradition…..
Excellent. What better place for Papelbon to bring his special brand but back to Fenway.
I’m just shocked that he gets so much attention from a lot of teams. If he was THAT GOOD, why did the Nationals let him go without trading him?
Papelbon’s value to the Red Sox is that he currently is pitching as effectively as Tazawa. If Pap returns Taz can DL for a few weeks to rest as he is clearly fatigued. A rested Taz is better than Pap but it may take Pap to rest Taz…
…or not I’m no baseball ops guy so I could be talking out my butt.
If I’m Papelbon, I sign with the Cubs.
If he were that bad; why do mlb teams crave for his services? I’m just asking. If he signs with the Cubs, I don’t see it as a desperation or insecure move. I view it as an opportunistic front office that will constantly tweet their team to optimize it’s possible chances to win.
Why would Boston be interested in this head case……. I would pass……
Tired bullpen and an experienced late inning arm who is already familiar with much of the coaching staff
Pedroia and Papi would keep him in line. He’s one with them before. He needs to reestablish his value. Why not go to a team in the race and prove that he can still get outs in a clutch situation. Ryan Madson got a 3 year 22 mil contract this past off season after being the 7th inning reliever for the Royals after not pitching the year before.
It’s like inviting cancer with open arms
Way too much focus on the Boston Red Sox on this site. No one other than Sox fans care.
Right, and there’s a lot of Sox fans… It makes a lot of sense to right to the masses. Plus, Sox are generally a very active team, and a lot of others write about them, so there’s a lot more to put on here than there would be about say, the Padres or the Brewers. Yankees get a lot too. I’d say Red Sox and Yankees are probably two of the biggest baseball fan bases, so it makes sense.
Funny how you squeezed the Yankees in there when they don’t get near as much coverage as the Red Sox. The site is called MLB traderumors, not Boston Red Sox trade rumors. If you think any MLB team gets as much coverage on this site as Boston you are mistaken. Both NY teams combined get less coverage than Boston.
I didn’t say other teams got as much coverage, I said the biggest fan bases got the most coverage. You must be a Rays fan… All 250 of them must be upset they don’t get equal coverage on here compared to all the big boys right?
If Papi and Pedroia, can speak to Papelbon if he joins Red Sox, and convince him that Papi wants to end his career as 3 time World Series champion and check his ego for couple months – Paps and Dustin with 2 World Series rings – then Jonathan could be effective middle inning set up guy.
He could also help closer Kimbrel avoid his occasional yips during relief stints and remind him what pitching in playoff race as closer of Red Sox as he did during ’07 World Series year, add in John Farrell was his pitching coach during his best days in Boston, Papelbon in Boston might make best scenario for both sides.
Pap will be home. Fenway Faithful Redsox Nation will all stand behind him & he will dance on the lawn again! End of Story
Saux aren’t winning anything with that crack starting staff come postseason.
Except the wild card game. I hope… Maybe they’ll get lucky and win the division somehow. I’m not too optimistic myself. ALDS is a possibility if the team they are playing against doesn’t have great pitching. Maybe the Orioles? If they get the Rangers, it’s over for the Sox.
Not in Cub land we must have Chemistry all we need is LaStella and Canderla on this team and maybe Joe Smith if he find his groove