Jonathan Papelbon has seemingly wanted out of Philadelphia since the day he signed a four-year, $50 million contract with the team after the 2011 season. While speaking at the site of the MLB All-Star Game on Monday, the 34-year-old reiterated that he wants to be traded.
When Papelbon was asked about wanting to play for another team, he indicated that he is tired of rumors swirling with nothing happening. Only, he didn’t exactly use those words.
Papelbon at All Star press conference says it's time for Phillies "to (blank) or get off the pot." Re: trade
— Jim Salisbury (@JSalisburyCSN) July 13, 2015
Papelbon openly admitted last week that he wanted to be dealt to a winning team.
“Some guys want to stay on a losing team?” he asked reporters, per Ryan Lawrence of the Philadelphia Daily News. “That’s mind-boggling to me. I think that’s a no-brainer (to want to leave and go to a contender).”
The Phillies know Papelbon wants to be traded, so he doesn’t need to keep trying to embarrass them publicly. They have probably tried to find a suitor for the closer on numerous occasions, but there aren’t many teams that want to pay a 34-year-old reliever $13 million per season — especially one who is going to create headlines the second something goes wrong.
Papelbon is still pitching at a high level (1.60 ERA, 14 saves, no blown saves), but teams were probably turned off by his crotch grab antics late last season. It’s also not a good look that he bashes the Phillies every chance he gets. He’d have a better chance of being traded if he kept quiet.
