Jonathan Papelbon, the Phillies franchise leader in saves, has not been shy about wanting to be traded. At All-Star media day this week, Papelbon said the Phillies need to "you-know-what or get off the pot" referring to the front office. The Phillies closer went on to say the Phillies need to make a decision rather than stay in limbo through all of these changes, including the addition of Andy MacPhail to the front office.
On Tuesday morning, Ruben Amaro Jr. was a guest on WIP's Morning Show. Among the topics discussed were the status of a possible Hamels trade, his comments regarding Cesar Hernandez and of course, Papelbon's statement at the Midsummer Classic.
Firstly, Amaro was asked by Angelo Cataldi if his comments about the Phillies front office would hurt his value on the trade market.
"No, I don't think so because I know that the clubs that have seen him pitch and know what he's about know what kind of competitor he is," Amaro told Angelo Cataldi. "They know that he wants to win. They know that when he takes the ball, he doesn't make any excuses. He knows what it takes to make the last pitch of the season.
"There's live discussions going on right now regarding Pap. I do believe that there's enough of a market that we can probably get something done. But again, I don't necessarily believe in 'probably.' … There's a lot of clubs that are interested in a lot of our players and we have to sort through it and make the right deals."
"So he's got a lot of those positives, and even though he gets a little verbal sometimes, the fact of the matter is, when he's between the lines, he's as good as there is. He's pitched very, very well this year." [CSNPhilly.com]
Papelbon hasn't blown a save yet this year and holds a 1.60 ERA. Many believe that the thing stunting a possible deal for Papelbon is the $13 million vesting option next year. The Phillies may have to take on a large chunk of that if they want to get rid of him or Papelbon could not make it a requirement that it gets guaranteed, thus subtracting one less road block from packing his bags.
In his comments in Cincinnatti on Monday, Papelbon said that a lot of that changes that are happening with the Phillies management is a reason as to why things are not getting done. With the addition of Andy MacPhail, new leadership is imminent, but Ruben Amaro Jr. and Pat Gillick still remain in charge of team on pace for one of their worst seasons in franchise history. Despite the dysfunction in the management, Amaro stated that the Phils closer doesn't know anything about what is going on.
"As Pap is a very good pitcher, he doesn't know anything about the front office," Amaro said.
"It's as simple as that. I'm the GM and Pat is my boss. As in all these deals, particularly ones that are as complicated and have so much money involved, these are all discussions that we've had. When I was with David Montgomery, same thing when David was at the helm. These are decisions that are made unilaterally. I don't walk into a discussion and just make a deal. It's something that's discussed, not just with me, but also with my boss. And that's the same structure that we have right now. Right now, Andy is part of the decision-making process, but only in so much that he's an observer and someone who's going to give us his opinion. Really, Pat is the one who ultimately will make the ultimate decisions." [CSNPhilly.com]
The Phillies signed Papelbon to a four-year, $50 million contract following the 2011 season. That year, the Phillies won 102 games. Now, they are on pace to lose 110. The Brewers, Blue Jays, Cubs and Rangers have all been linked to Papelbon at points this season. In his time with the Phillies Papelbon has converted 120 saves in 135 chances and sports a 2.33 ERA. Despite his urge to go else, Papelbon has made it clear that he isn't willing to be a setup man and will only close. His $13 million option vests if he finishes 19 more games this season.
