Jonathan Papelbon Listened to Us: Phillies No Longer on his No-Trade List
Earlier this week, we pointed out how stupid it was that Jonathan Papelbon had the Phillies on his no-trade list. He was wasting a spot that could be used for a team he didn’t want to go to but would actually trade for him. The Phils don’t meet that criteria, since they would rather bring Jose Mesa back to close games out than pay anything for Paps. Today, that list is updated, according to Jerry Crasnick (the last one was for the 2015):
Nationals closer Jonathan Papelbon has submitted his updated no-trade list for 2016, with several changes. It includes the following 17 teams where he can block a deal:
ARI, ATL, BAL, CIN, COL, CWS, HOU, KC, LAD, MIA, MIL, MIN, OAK, PIT, SEA, TEX, TOR
Conversely, Papelbon can be traded to the following 12 clubs without his permission:
BOS, ChiC, CLEV, DET, LAA, NYM, NYY, PHI, TB, STL, SD, SF
So what are the differences? He can now be dealt to the Giants, Phillies, Tigers, and Yankees without his consent, while he holds the right to ban a trade to Atlanta, Cincy, Kansas City, and Seattle. Papelbon had 24 saves last year. On average (disregarding the Phillies), the teams Paps can’t block a trade to had closers who saved 36 games last year. Some of them need a guy, but just how bad do they need a guy if they’re gonna go for Papelbon? It’s actually a smart list. Have the right to refusal for the team who might actually trade for you, let the moves fly for those who don’t want you. Paps might have actually done his homework on this one.