Jonathan Papelbon outright released

[Little Slide Rooter]

Nationals Release Jonathan Papelbon https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2016/08/nationals-could-be-about-to-make-a-move-with-jonathan-papelbon.html

 

And you know that Theo wasted no time getting to the phone.

[David]

if it means we DFA joe smith, i'll take this horsefeathers

[Tryptamine]

if it means we DFA joe smith, i'll take this [expletive]

 

This was my exact first thought. I'll deal with the douchebag as long as Joe Smith never throws another pitch for the Cubs.

[Aaron_Kennelly]

https://gfycat.com/OfficialParallelHind

[UMFan83]

I'm gonna disagree. We already have a douchebag in Chapman. Any more will really upset the balance of the team.

 

And yes Lackey is a douchebag too but his teammates seem to like him

[Cubswin11]

Absolutely not, he horsefeathering sucks. U can put up with douche bags if they are good but Paplebon is terrible these days.

[Little Slide Rooter]

Absolutely not, he [expletive] sucks. U can put up with douche bags if they are good but Paplebon is terrible these days.

 

But being reunited with his old buddies, his douchebaggery could be kept in check. I know that he had a good relationship with Lester, so by default, I'll assume that he did with Lackey and Ross. Besides, from what I gather, he's the kind of douche who only really calls guys out for lack of hustle, and that's really not a problem for this team.

 

As for his value, his numbers haven't been what they once were these past 2 years. And I'm not going to lie, I have no idea what his velo looks like these days. But we're not asking him to be a closer, we're asking him to be our 4th-5th best reliever once everyone's healthy.

 

And I know that it's up for debate, but there is something to be said about these veterans with late inning experience in the post season.

[Sammy Sofa]

He arguably destroyed Harper. The Cubs don't need him putting his evil on them.

[MarkR]

He sucks. I hear his velocity is around 90 these days. And he's a raging doofus to boot. horsefeathers him.

[Cubswin11]

Absolutely not, he [expletive] sucks. U can put up with douche bags if they are good but Paplebon is terrible these days.

 

But being reunited with his old buddies, his douchebaggery could be kept in check. I know that he had a good relationship with Lester, so by default, I'll assume that he did with Lackey and Ross. Besides, from what I gather, he's the kind of douche who only really calls guys out for lack of hustle, and that's really not a problem for this team.

 

As for his value, his numbers haven't been what they once were these past 2 years. And I'm not going to lie, I have no idea what his velo looks like these days. But we're not asking him to be a closer, we're asking him to be our 4th-5th best reliever once everyone's healthy.

 

And I know that it's up for debate, but there is something to be said about these veterans with late inning experience in the post season.

No, just no

[UMFan83]

I can't remember which local baseball douche reported this, I think Bruce Levine, but it was reported that the Cubs are seriously interested in signing Papelbon.

 

The Cubs also signed Joe Thatcher to a minor league deal, so its looking pretty clear that the Cubs are willing to sign any currently or formerly competent bullpen arm to try to get lightning in a bottle for the playoffs.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

Lester says yes please

 

http://www.espn.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/40552/if-cubs-are-interested-jon-lester-endorses-acquiring-jonathan-papelbon

[Tim]

I mean, I guess I'd be okay with it if it meant dropping Joe Smith.

[KrisBryantisaBeast]

His 11 + era post all star break doesn't inspire much confidence in him. Plus he would probably just demand to be the closer so no thanks.

[Banedon]

His 11 + era post all star break doesn't inspire much confidence in him. Plus he would probably just demand to be the closer so no thanks.

 

Well obviously they won't sign him unless he's ok not being the closer. It's not like they're gonna sign him and then he's gonna get all mad about not being the closer.

 

But yes, him being a bad pitcher now is a concern.

[David]

yeah, papelbon coming here demanding to be the closer is pretty hilariously far fetched, all things considered

[David]

ha, his fastball still gets up to 95 on occasion, huh?

 

i had forgotten he used to approach triple digits.

[UMFan83]

As recently has July 23 he had a 2.57 ERA and a .650 OPS against 29k/9bb in 31.2 IP. And IIRC his FIP was legitimizing those numbers.

 

Obviously in the 5 appearances since then he completely fell apart. Also I think I read here or elsewhere that his stuff is not the same as previous years and the fact that a contender like Washington who has bullpen issues outright released him doesn't speak well.

 

I'm guessing the Cubs do pick him up and give him a chance in the 7th inning role while Strop is out. If he pitches well then he gets a playoff roster spot and can pitch wherever. As far as the clubhouse stuff goes, it could be a bad thing to have him there, but there are so many former Red Sox connections on this team like Lackey, Lester, Theo, Jed, etc that if they vouch for him there won't be any dissent for him joining.

 

I'm not sure if I'm 100% on board with this but at the same time we have the 11 game lead and a potential open bullpen spot to give him a try. If he sucks then we get rid of him and wait for Strop to return.

[Banedon]

we have the 11 game lead

 

How dare you insult the Cubs like that....they have a 12 game lead, sir.

[UMFan83]

we have the 11 game lead

 

How dare you insult the Cubs like that....they have a 12 game lead, sir.

 

:banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:

[Old Style]

He arguably destroyed Harper. The Cubs don't need him putting his evil on them.

I had no idea Harper was destroyed. I'm way out of the loop apparently.

[Aaron_Kennelly]

I'd be fine with signing him. Like others have said, he has to be better than Joe Smith. And I do wonder if some of his results this year, especially lately, can be attributed to him not being in the right frame of mind. He and Washington just didn't work out well. And I wonder if he was phoning it in. Not that such a person would be a great addition to our team. But, I think the circumstances are different here. We have nothing invested in him. And we can make that be known: "Pull any horsefeathers and you are gone." And we have Lester to maybe make him aware of what is expected from him and help keep him in line. You are to be a fly on the wall. Shut up and pitch. And don't even speak to Bryzzo unless spoken to.

[ScrubMD]

I really wish they'd just DFA Smith and go with Rivero or Patton, but since that doesn't seem like it will happen for whatever reason, sure why not.

[Cubswin11]

I really wish they'd just DFA Smith and go with Rivero or Patton, but since that doesn't seem like it will happen for whatever reason, sure why not.

Is the plan for Cahill to move to the bullpen or go go back to Iowa after the start tomorrow? I could see Smith getting DFA'd to make room for Cahill staying up full time after his start tomorrow.

[UMFan83]

I really wish they'd just DFA Smith and go with Rivero or Patton, but since that doesn't seem like it will happen for whatever reason, sure why not.

Is the plan for Cahill to move to the bullpen or go go back to Iowa after the start tomorrow? I could see Smith getting DFA'd to make room for Cahill staying up full time after his start tomorrow.

 

Well to go back to Iowa he'd either need to get hurt again or be DFA'd and clear waivers so I'm guessing he will be back up as a long reliever/spot starter