Shipping Down to Philly
Papelbon Packed His Bags to Leave Boston Four Years Ago
Red Sox Never Offered Papelbon a Contract
The Closer That Couldn't Finish Off the Orioles Will Cash in with Phillies
It Was Fun in the Beginning, But Pap's Fake Crazy Act Got Old Fast
Daniel Bard Will Have to Take Over Those 60 Innings
Unless Ryan Madson or Heath Bell Come on Board
"Pap has worked extremely hard to put himself in position to go into free agency..." -- Ben Cherington ... and that's all you need to know about this deal
Jonathan Papelbon on March 4, 2008: "I'm at a point to where I feel like the position I'm in, there's a certain standard that needs to be put in place here. I feel like with me being at the top of my position, I feel like that standard needs to be set and I'm the one to set that standard. And I don't think that the Red Sox are really necessarily seeing eye to eye with me on that subject right now. Hopefully, we can get somewhere.
"We're chugging away at this thing and we want to get it done, believe me, and we can move on. At the same time, I feel a certain obligation to not only myself and my family to make the money that I deserve, but for the game of baseball. Mariano Rivera [who had recently signed a three-year, $45 million deal] has been doing it for the past 10 years. With me coming up behind him, I feel a certain obligation to do the same."
Papelbon's Annual 'Give Me Free Agency or Give Me Death Speech' in Jan. 2010 to Gordon Edes: "Wouldn't you want a guy to pitch in Boston, New York and Philadelphia who you know has consistently had just three or four blown saves a year. That's a rarity in itself.
"If in the beginning of the year, you're in Boston or New York or Philadelphia, and somebody tells you this guy is going to blow only three or four saves all year, who else are you going to get to do that, you know?
"Understand, I'm in the prime of my career. Why would I give up something? I'd give up something if it's fair to both sides, but I want to do things for my fellow closers, just like Mo paved the way for me. I want every closer out there, man, to get every penny they deserve.''
ESPN's Keith Law: Papelbon a Mistake for Phillies: "I thought signing Ryan Madson for four years and $44 million was a bad idea, even though he is the best free-agent reliever on the market for both the short- and long-terms. The history of signing relievers to deals of that length is simply too awful to ignore.
That contract was a bargain relative to the one the Phillies are about to give Jonathan Papelbon -- more money, plus a lost draft pick, for an inferior reliever who gives up more fly balls.
Papelbon was the second-best relief option on the market, but even in one of his best seasons in 2011, he was only worth two to three wins above replacement, and I'd put the over/under on his WAR for this deal at around eight, which would still make it a pretty bad contract. But the real issue with any reliever and with Papelbon specifically is their high attrition rates -- they don't last, and their peaks tend to be short."
Jonathan Papelbon, former Red Sox closer after the season ending loss in Baltimore: "What do you expect my reaction to be. We just lost... how am I supposed to answer that? [What are you feeling? Disappointment, frustration, sadness, shock]. Yea, all of the above ... it's just a classic [after the first two outs]... I was pumped up to be in that situation. Those are situations that I enjoy and just overthrowing the ball, not focusing on location, not really focusing on location and ... it boils down to pretty much, just not executing. I felt great. I felt great all year. ... For me to sit here and say fatigue was an issue would be looking for excuses. And I'm not looking for excuses and everybody's fatigued, you play 162 ballgames, I don't care who you are, you're going to be fatigued, but that's not the issue here."
We'll Always Have the 2009 Postseason ...
Stinko Ocho Channels Schiraldi at Fenway
Papelblown, Papelbum, Papelgone Baby Gone
Pride and Broom for Angels | Rally Chimps 7, Really Chumps 6
In the End, We Could Have Used Daniel Bard's 2 No-Hit Innings
Was That Schiraldi's Ghost Exiting Through the Open Door in Center Field?
Papelbon Not Ready for Prime Time (Why?)
But Thanks for 2007
