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Report: MacPhail/Gillick Put the Kibosh on a Papelbon Trade Proposed by Ruben
By Jim Adair
Published:
Part of the reason the Phillies felt the need to bring in new leadership – and why they’ll eventually replace Ruben Amaro – is because the team has grown stagnant. There have been no substantiative changes to improve and rebuild the club. But, Ruben is still, it would seem, trying?
According to Jayson Stark, Amaro was talking to a handful of clubs about Jonathan Papelbon last month, but the powers that be pulled back on a potential deal. “Pulled back, in that they never got a deal done after pushing hard initially,” Stark said in another tweet. “Sounds like they wanted to wait for MacPhail hiring.”
Pulling back on a deal until they got the guy they wanted in charge is a good idea, but whatever offers and deals were possibly in place are probably gone now, and the Phils will likely have to lower their expectations on a return, assuming they weren’t just getting a bag of balls to begin with.
Kyle: Totally agree. Waiting on MacPhail, who is supposed to be just a semi-interested observer for the rest of the season, to make a move is understandable but also counterproductive. At this point, even the Phils have to acknowledge that Ruben has all but ruined the trade values of most of his assets. Papelbon has some left, so just pull the trigger already. Do something. Anything. And do something while we’re waiting.
When he's not writing about sports here or ranting about them on Twitter, Jim is probably watching X-Files on Netflix or drinking a beer somewhere. Jim has nothing against hockey, it's just not his style. He once met Duce Staley at a Sixers game.