The Philadelphia Phillies' rebuilding effort includes finding a taker for high-priced closer Jonathan Papelbon, and while there is a leading candidate to take him on, the trade talks are in a "holding pattern," according to reports.
The Brewers have been linked to the Phillies and Papelbon for weeks, but CBS Sports reports that there's a "gap" in player compensation that is holding up talks. Similar concerns have been stalling Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro's attempts to trade left-hander Cole Hamels this offseason.
The Brewers have other options in free agency. Last year they deployed Francisco "K-Rod" Rodriguez as their closer, and he rewarded them with 44 saves, the fifth-most in baseball, along with a 3.04 ERA and 0.99 WHIP. The market's been cool toward K-Rod though, likely because his advanced metrics indicated that his fine performance may have been a tad lucky.
Rafael Soriano is also available on the free agent market. He has plenty of closer experience, but lost his job last year after a brutal second half of the season for the Washington Nationals. He posted a 6.48 ERA in the second half of 2014, allowed opposing hitters to slash .299/.359/.505, and saw his line drive rate increase by 10 percent. He also struggled mightily on the road (4.34 ERA) as opposed to home (2.18 ERA).
The Toronto Blue Jays are believed to be a dark horse suitor for Papelbon, but there are financial constraints there that are limiting their pursuit. So far Amaro's only comment on Papelbon talks have been "We're still having discussions with clubs."
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