Clubhouse headache and high-price reliever Jonathan Papelbon has surfaced as a potential trade chip of the Washington Nationals.
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Nationals GM Fielding Calls on Papelbon
Monday, Nov. 10
Jon Morosi of Fox Sports reported Tuesday teams have reached out to Nationals GM Mike Rizzo to discuss Papelbon and fellow reliever Drew Storen.
Papelbon supplanted Storen as the team’s closer when traded from the Philadelphia Phillies prior to the non-waiver deadline. It created an awkward dynamic, even prompting Storen to comment on the matter and admit to having discussions with his agent, Brodie Van Wagenen, about his future in Washington, per Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal.
Papelbon was also infamously involved in choking NL MVP favorite Bryce Harper in the dugout late in the season, when the Nationals were out of the playoff race, courtesy of MLB (starts at 18-second mark):
Bill Ladson of MLB.com considered Papelbon “all but gone” following the incident, though the Nationals said Papelbon was in their 2016 plans when he and Harper reconciled the first week of November, per the Washington Post's Thomas Boswell.
Now with Rizzo mingling with GMs at the annual retreat among personnel planners, he wasn’t firm on whether Papelbon would return.
“As of today, they’re both in the bullpen [in 2016],” Rizzo said of Papelbon and Storen, per the Washington Post's James Wagner. “They’re both good relief pitchers. Unless someone makes us a real baseball offer, they will be.”
Both Papelbon and Storen will be free agents in 2017, and it wouldn’t be out of the realm for both to be gone by then. Papelbon will likely be harder to deal this offseason given his reputation and price tag of $11 million, per Spotrac.
Rizzo and the Nationals have already made moves this offseason to return to World Series contention after missing the playoffs despite mighty expectations in 2015.
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