Since the Washington Nationals released Jonathan Papelbon over the weekend, the reliever has garnered some serious interest.
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The Red Sox are one of the teams said to be interested in landing Papelbon. But given the fact that the Nationals are on the hook for his remaining salary in the final year of a deal that pays him $13 million this season, Papelbon represents a low-risk option for a contender at a time when those are hard to come by. He previously pitched for Boston from 2005-2011, where he won a World Series with them in 2007.
Papelbon is having a disappointing season, positing a 4.37 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP in 35 innings over 37 appearances. He also recorded a H9 of 9.5, HR9 of 0.8, BB9 of 3.6, and SO9 of 8.0. Former teammate Jon Lester told ESPN.com’s Jesse Rogers that he would be all for bringing Papelbon into the fold with the Cubs. Papelbon, 35, became a free agent Saturday when the Washington Nationals released him at his request. Papelbon’s production has been poor this season, which made manager Dusty Baker remove Papelbon from the closer role in favor of recently acquired Mark Melancon.
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Both choices for Papelbon would have ties to his past team: He would either return to his former team, the Red Sox, or play under Theo Epstein again with the Cubs. Whether or not that takes place, that remains to be seen, but we’ll see how this unfolds.
