Jonathan Papelbon

Just when you thought the Washington Nationals couldn't sink any lower, there they go, plunging to new depths.

The fodder does not stop just because the number of relevant teams in this regular season has shrunk to about a dozen.

There was plenty of news in Major League Baseball this past week, and some of it was made by non-contending organizations such as the Boston Red Sox and Milwaukee Brewers, both of whom hired new general managers—Mike Hazen and David Stearns, respectively.

Washington Nationals closer Jonathan Papelbon was suspended for three games by Major League Baseball on Friday for throwing a pitch toward the head of Baltimore Orioles third baseman Manny Machado.

One of Bud Selig’s primary goals in adding a second wild-card playoff spot to both leagues was to put more teams in postseason contention, creating more excitement and fan interest throughout the summer.

A consequence of achieving that goal has been tamping down the trade buzz heading into the All-Star break, one of the game’s most exciting and heavily debated portions of the regular season.

1. NL West: Change, Money and Bubble Gum

One week in, and you know what's more fun than Furious 7 meets Coachella?

The National League West.

Grab a fistful of Dubble Bubble, because that's the first checkpoint for a summer of bubble-blowing good times: Padres home opener Thursday, ninth inning, Giants center fielder Angel Pagan at the plate and suddenly he and San Diego catcher Derek Norris are jawing and must be separated.

“Pitchers and catchers report” may be the most magical words in sports, but there are still some trade rumors to work out before MLB spring training officially gets underway. 

The Philadelphia Phillies are prominent in many of those, but their division rivals, the New York Mets, are as well. Read on for the latest speculation surrounding these National League East teams before spring training begins.

Jonathan Papelbon, it seems, has officially attained "toxic asset" status. That's too bad, because the polarizing Philadelphia Phillies closer could legitimately help a contender in need of late-inning relief.

Like, say, the Milwaukee Brewers, who are hoping to crash the party in the hyper-competitive National League Central.

The rumor mill doesn't care what the calendar says. Just because we sit only two weeks away from the start of spring training and about a month off from Cactus and Grapefruit League action getting underway doesn't stop it from spinning, and this past week has seen the mill pick up some serious speed.

As the Philadelphia Phillies continue to offload some of their veteran assets, closer Jonathan Papelbon continues to find himself at the center of trade speculation.

Todd Zolecki of MLB.com has more on two teams continuing to show interest:

In the modern age of baseball, there are two types of teams when it comes to the offseason. Those looking to make an immediate run to the World Series, and those willing to offload talent to get a jump-start on a rebuild.