Harper was held out of the next game as a form of punishment, while Papelbon was suspended for the rest of the season.
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But according to Yahoo Sports, the incident has been put to rest.
Harper and Papelbon fought in the dugout as Washington’s disappointing season came to a close.
Harper may say the right things and may be acting like a leader by reaching out to Pap, but that’s probably not the best environment. This is what the Nationals want us to think.
Nationals’ GM Mike Rizzo, who announced Papelbon’s suspension the day after the altercation, was asked if he thought the right-hander, acquired from the Phillies in a pre-deadline deal, would be back in the nation’s capital in 2016?
“We’re going to evaluate every moving part that we have after the season and we’ll make all those decisions once the final out is made in 2015”.
While most outside (and a few inside) observers assumed that Papelbon’s actions likely ended his time in D.C., a report this afternoon from Washington Post columnist Thomas Boswell suggests that might not be the case.
In Dusty Baker the Nationals are getting a man who understands people and knows how to work with young superstars to take them to the next level.
“Papelbon and Harper are fine together”, one person inside the Natioanls, referring to Harper’s phone call. Both players are under contract next season and will have to live with each other unless Papelbon is moved.
Kettmann doesn’t write his column with the objective of burying Harper – it’s more about praising Baker, whose book the small imprint Kettmann owns just published – but I find the autopilot “Bryce Harper is an immature kid” stuff to be beyond tiresome at this point. Why the Nats have kept Papelbon around is truly a mystery.
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If they don’t, the old-school Baker, who’s not averse to running a ballclub that has an occasional brouhaha with opposing teams, too, can always hand out the boxing gloves in the bullpen and separate ’em in the clinches. Will D.C. fans ever embrace Papelbon?
