The Nationals desperately want to trade closer Jonathan Papelbon, mostly because he choked their star outfielder Bryce Harper during a game. The Nationals want to rebuild their entire bullpen, per ESPN’s Jayson Stark, so Drew Storen, who Papelbon replaced, is also on the trade block.
I’ve now heard from 3 teams in the last few days that Nationals want to deal both Papelbon & Storen, while chasing O'Day, Chapman & others
— Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) November 23, 2015
Possible Strasburg/Storen Deal To Yankees Is A Bad Idea For The Nationals
Storen has a seven-year youth advantage on Papelbon, but the latter is the real value in D.C. Because of Papelbon’s issues with Harper, and as a prickly clubhouse personality in general, the Nats don’t’ have any leverage in dealing him. The rest of the world knows they want him out, so the return will not be as great. His behavior concerns mask a high-quality reliever.
Papelbon, 35, posted a strong season last year for all his bad press. He was 4-3 with a 2.13 ERA and 24 saves between the Phillies and Nationals. His second half was weaker than the first, but he still posted a 2.78 ERA for Washington, and blew just two save chances all year. His strikeout rate dipped slightly, but he compensated by generating nearly 10 percent more ground balls than in 2014, and walking fewer batters.
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Papelbon’s salary is also less of a concern entering 2015; he is in the final year of his deal, so even though $11 million is a big number this season, he has to be on his best behavior if he wants to stick around on a new contract. Contending teams can do worse than a reliever who has posted a sub-3.000 ERA in each season since 2011, and saved at least 24 games annually since 2006.
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