Friday was Jonathan Papelbon's turn to do the Phillies media. While Cole Hamels wishes he was somewhere else and Cliff Lee plays with his Magic 8 Ball, Papelbon was equally blunt…and equally critical. In his meeting with the media, Papelbon said that he is not on board with the Phillies plans and would welcome a trade.
Papelbon seemed to think that the Phillies really do not seem like they are truly willing to rebuild…and the veteran players are getting annoyed, or so Papelbon told reporters, including Jake Kaplan of the Philadelphia Inquirer:
“In my opinion, I’m still not so sold on this entire rebuilding,” he said. “I know that that’s one of the things that myself and some of the veterans that are going to be coming into camp want to probably sit down with Pat (Gillick) and Ruben (Amaro Jr.) and (Ryne Sandberg) and say, ‘Hey, you know. Let’s get a little bit better feel on the state of the organization and let’s come up with a plan and go one way or the other.’
“I just think we’re kind of in limbo now,” Papelbon added. “Spring training is going to be able to dictate that.”
Papelbon also said that he was not paying attention to trade rumors, adding that he never heard from his agents about any Milwaukee Brewers or Toronto Blue Jays deals. Kaplan's piece also quotes Papelbon as saying he'd be happy to stay with the team or take a trade.
“But if Toronto wants me, if Milwaukee wants me, whoever wants me, they’re going to get someone who knows how to compete and go play ball and lay it on the line. That’s basically what it boils down to for me.”
Papelbon has been one of the most reliable closers in baseball during his career, but interest continues to be light.
What will the Phillies players have to say, and will it matter? They are probably frustrated that they remain, while other veterans have left. They all may need to continue to be stuck in the middle, or perhaps baseball "purgatory", as Maria Guardado of NJ.com called it. All they can do is pitch at the top of their game until the right situation develops and another general manager comes calling for their services.
