Analysis: A day late and a dollar short on this one. Closers, by and large, are extremely overpaid and I’m glad the Phillies front office has come to realize this but this is way too late in the game. Signing a Joaquin Benoit, for instance, will likely net you the same result for less money than having Papelbon but the Phillies are likely literally the last team to the party in this realization. Finding a trade partner who both wants Papelbon, his salary, and his diminishing velocity will be tough.
I certainly applaud to attempt to do this but you really have to believe if the Phillies have come around to feeling this way (that closers aren’t worth nearly what they are paid) then who would bite on a trade to take on $26 million in guaranteed, and $39 million in potential, salary?
