The Washington Nationals bolstered their bullpen on Tuesday when they acquired closer Jonathan Papelbon from the Philadelphia Phillies. But it could take a while before one of Papelbon’s new teammates offers to buy him dinner.
Drew Storen has been closing games for the Nationals all season, and he has been very effective in that role. The 27-year-old is tied for third in the majors with 29 saves and boasts a 1.73 ERA. So why are the Nats giving Papelbon his job?
“Papelbon is our ninth-inning pitcher,” Washington general manager Mike Rizzo said Tuesday, per MASN’s Chris Johnson. “Drew will pitch the ninth inning at times when Papelbon’s not available and be our set-up guy in the eighth inning as we constructed today.”
As you might expect, Storen does not seem pleased.
“Really, all I’m gonna say is that obviously I’m aware of the move,” he told reporters. “I’ve talked to (Rizzo) about it. I’ve talked to my agent. We’ve had some ongoing discussions. Until those have progressed, I’m just gonna leave it at that and no comment for now. But as the situation goes, I’ll keep you guys posted.”
Papelbon has pitched well this season, too. He has converted all 17 of his save opportunities (the Phillies aren’t good) and has a 1.59 ERA. He also has more big-game experience than Storen, who has blown just two saves.
Papelbon has been a full-time closer for the past 10 seasons. Perhaps the Nationals feel that Storen is better equipped to change roles, especially given Papelbon’s reputation for flying off the handle.
In any event, the Nationals are on track to make the playoffs. Assuming they can make everyone happy down the stretch, the team will have one of the deepest bullpens in baseball.
