Jonathan Papelbon made his return to Philadelphia for the first time since being traded from the Phillies to the Nationals in July, and the outspoken closer didn’t pull any punches in criticizing his old team. “I don’t know if I got a bad rep here or whatever, but I can promise you I was by far (not) the bad guy on this team. I was one of the few that wanted to win. I was one of the few who competed and posted up every day,” Papelbon told reporters, including Ryan Lawrence of the Philadelphia Daily News. The closer’s issues extended well beyond the clubhouse, as “I think the blame goes all the way from the front office down to the bat boy. When you don’t have an organization that wants to win, it’s pretty evident. They go out and publicly say we’re not going to win. What more – do you know what I mean?”
Here’s some more from around the NL East…
- Fredi Gonzalez isn’t to blame for the Braves’ collapse, MLB.com’s Mark Bowman writes as part of a reader mailbag. The fact that Atlanta extended Gonzalez and his coaching staff’s contracts in July just before the team started trading veteran players was a sign that the manager wasn’t going to be held responsible for how the purposely-weakened roster performed down the stretch.
- Also from Bowman’s piece, he notes that the Braves will have roughly $25-$30MM in payroll space this winter and they’ll focus on upgrading the bullpen and perhaps adding a veteran arm to the rotation. Such a starter would be of the mid-tier variety rather than an expensive ace, however.
- The Braves would like to bring back A.J. Pierzynski as a backup catcher next year and Christian Bethancourt may be trade bait, though Bowman wonders if Atlanta would move Bethancourt when his value is at an all-time low. Bowman suggests that free agent catching target like Chris Iannetta might be more realistic than a pricier option such as Matt Wieters. The Braves would also have an interest in Jonathan Lucroy but there’s no sign the Brewers are making their catcher available in trade talks.
- The Mets will be making a mistake if they trade Matt Harvey this winter, Joel Sherman of the New York Post opines. Harvey is too valuable and too talented to move for anything less than an elite young talent, and since the odds are slim-to-none that the likes of Carlos Correa or Xander Bogaerts could be obtained in return, Sherman feels Harvey is still needed in New York since there’s no such thing as too much pitching depth.
Papelbon seems to have a lack of understanding for the rebuild concept.
Papelbon is a competitor. He plays the game to win, not idle during a “rebuild” process. Even if you aren’t good, and won’t be, you should at least still play hard.
I feel for Papelbon but there’s no need to go on the offensive.
Fundamentally, he’s right. Management didn’t need to be so open about the rebuild. Obviously it was happening, but sports teams generally don’t admit that stuff to the media. The NL East has been a complete mess this year. We know the Phillies weren’t going to contend, but there was no reason for them to come out and say it.
It’s that kind of quote from Papelbon that tells you all you need to know about why he never quite fit in with the organization in Philly. Yes, he wants to win in the worst possible way and that’s admirable. But he’s far too willing to publicly throw everybody else under the bus if he doesn’t think they help the cause.
Ian, the Phillies had to come out with the rebuilding statement because their genius fans pretty much demanded it and need to know every move they make.
I’d be stunned if the Red Sox even entertained the idea of Harvey for Bogaerts. At only 22 Bogaerts is wrapping up his second full season showing vast improvement over last season and is third in WAR among MLB shortstops. Also leading all shortstop in batting average and second in RBIs and OBP. This is the young talent you build around.
The interesting thing about the current Red Sox is that they have enough talent that they could put up a realistic package for Harvey without giving up Bogaerts. You’re looking at a team with tremendously talented minor leaguers – Margot, Devers, Moncada, Benintendi, etc – with plenty of recently graduated talent (Swihart, Bogaerts, JBJ, Mookie, Rodriguez, Owens, etc.).
Fredi wont be with the braves in 17 so why delay the inevitable?
This stubbornness from the front office is silly to keep Fredi here. What has he done in his tenure to warrant such grace? Did he marry Bobby’s daughter? Bowman states that them trading away vets at the break pointed at them expecting to not contend, but they traded away Juan Uribe, Kelly Johnson, Jim Johnson, Alex Wood, and a top prospect (Peraza) with no MLB experience. What are you really going to win with that crop of 1-year deals and a mid-rotation starter with an “awkward turtle” delivery? They’ve ransacked the system of any ticket-purchasing power – not that I blame them – but at least extend an olive branch and appease the blood-thirsty fans by laying Fredi’s head on the gauntlet. Fredi is our Ruben Amaro Jr.
Paps is so good that Phillies had to Find a Sucker like Rizzo to take him, and By the way Rizzo also hired Loser Matt (The Juicer ) Williams as Manager .
Can you media types stop with the Papelbon garbage already. He’s alienated himself out of 2 locker rooms and you people have a microphone in front of his face all day like he’s something special. Lazy journalism, letting a mediocre player give you quotes so you dont have to work for it.
If I’m the RSox I would consider seriously a Xander for Matt Harvey trade.
Harvey has a mid 2 ERA with 60 plus games under his belt. He’s capable of being a perennial 200 Inn. pitcher with a WHIP of 1-1.1.
The Sox have 3 SS waiting in the wings. Guerra 2 yrs away. Marrero and Hernandez at AAA..
Xander would be tough to replace but 26 year old starters that would be a #1 and has started an All Star Game don’t grow on trees.
??? No way the mutts do that deal… especially for Xander. He’s choked on expectations so far, this year being his best. The mutts would sell really low if they did that deal. You gotta pay to play…. and xander straight up isn’t going to be enough, not even close imo.
The Mets would likely do that deal straight up. Boegarts plays every day, and pitchers who have been injured, tend to return to the DL. (Not to mention the Boras factor.) He also fits their greatest need, a ss.
The Mets would definitely not do that deal straight up. Harvey’s an established ace; Bogaerts has tons of potential but hasn’t yet put up sustainable numbers on offense.
Bogaerts has been pretty solid. He’s young, he has tremendous offensive upside, and his defense has been quite good. His ~.370 BABIP this year is unsustainable, but something like a Bogaerts/Johnson/Margot or Benintendi package could definitely work for the Mets.
No one expected Fredi to win a lot down the stretch with the roster, but 3-24 is absolutely on him. Bowman is wrong here. It’s not that they are losing, it’s that they’re losing at a historic rate. Doesn’t matter that they dealt off some talent, even the worst teams ever perform better than 3-24.
Simply put the team has quit on him. It’s not lack of talent that forces a 3-24 record. It’s quitting. And this isn’t the first time the team has quit on Fredi down the stretch, which even Bowman points out.
The Braves won;t win until they cut ties with him. No one respects him.
Even Papelbon’s own mother thinks he’s annoying…… On a brighter note, he at least seemed to have fixed that jock itch problem he had previously, it looked all cleared up when Freddy Galvis, a future bench player took him yard…
Would like to congratulate Jonathan Papelbon for destroying three team chemistries: Red Sox, Phillies and Nationals! I am very happy all the Phillies traded with the exception of Papelbon will be competing in the playoffs.
It’s crazy what happened to Storen concurrently.