Jonathan Papelbon to be released by Nationals

Jonathan Papelbon’s time in Washington appears to be coming to an end.

The Washington Post’s Chelsea Janes says the Nationals told Papelbon they planned to designate him for assignment, and the closer responded by asking for his outright release to speed up the divorce:

Nationals came to Papelbon, told him they were planning to DFA him because they needed a roster spot, could not afford to send out others.

— Chelsea Janes (@chelsea_janes) August 13, 2016

Papelbon asked to be released instead, since DFA takes 10 days to finalize. Nats agreed to take that route instead. Nothing official yet.

— Chelsea Janes (@chelsea_janes) August 13, 2016

Papelbon has been seemingly disappointed since being demoted as the Nats’ closer in light of the team’s acquisition of Mark Melancon. The Nats needed a roster spot for Reynaldo Lopez, whom they just called up, leading them to plan to DFA Papelbon.

Papelbon’s tenure with Washington will ultimately be viewed as a disaster. His 3.84 was ERA was modestly respectable on the surface, but the 1.313 WHIP he posted as a National was the highest mark he’s put up with any team by some distance. His mediocre on-field performance, however, will forever be overshadowed by the infamous choke from September 2015. He was never going to be able to redefine his tenure in Washington after that, and the Nats traded for a replacement closer in July. It’s no surprise it has come to this.