As the July 31st MLB trade deadline approaches, vocal Philadelphia Phillies closer Jonathan Papelbon may have talked his way out of town. The frustrated closer recently spoke to the media about the direction of the Phillies and his opinion on how things are going.
"I definitely didn't come here for this," Papelbon said. "No, I would like to stay here," said Papelbon. "But if I'm going to have to put up with this year after year, then no, I don't want to be here. Why would you? Why would anybody?"
Papelbon, who was an All-Star in 2012 and has a 2-0 record with 20 saves and a 2.21 ERA this season, compared the current Phillies roster to the one he was traded from in Boston, which suffered an utter collapse in 2011, going 7-20 and blowing a playoff berth.
"It's going to take, in my opinion, a lot," Papelbon said. "And in my opinion, I think it's going to have to be something very similar to what the Red Sox went through a couple years ago. From top to bottom."
Papelbon also reiterated that if the Phillies see more losing in the future, he is willing to be traded to a team where winning is in the cards. "That's part of the business. If you want to go in a different direction and I'm not a piece of that puzzle, so be it. This is a job. There are no feelings in this game. I left [Boston]. Carl left. Josh left. Adrian left. Now look at them."
If the Phillies decide trading Papelbon is something they want to do, the Detroit Tigers could be a potential suitor. According to reports, the Tigers are attempting to trade for Texas Rangers closer Joe Nathan. It is possible the Phillies could dangle their own former All-Star closer, maybe taking less in exchange than Texas would require.
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