What are the chances Pap is back in a Sox uniform?
Photo from Talk Sports Philly |
Contributing Writer
According to a report by CBS Sports, it's possible ex-Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon could be back in a Sox uniform.
CBS Sports:
The Phillies are trying to convince the Red Sox to trade for closer Jonathan Papelbon, according to the Boston Globe.
Such a deal could make sense for Boston considering that current closer Koji Uehara has lost a bit of velocity and owns an uncharacterstic 4.15 ERA with two runs and five hits allowed in his last 2 1/3 innings.
Papelbon, on the other hand, has been lights-out. He is 4-fof-4 in save opportunities and had not yielded a run until Sunday. He is also quite familiar with pitching at Fenway, having served as the Red Sox closer from 2006 through 2011. Papelbon is one of only a handful of major league closers that have maintained that role for more than a few years.
As I posted earlier, Koji may be coming to the end of his time, and if he can't get back to the 2013 Koji, at least partially, then fans will start looking at other options, namely Pap. Papelbon has been looking like the Pap of his Sox days at times, when he came in and we all knew the game would end in a Sox win. If he keeps this up, and Koji keeps sliding, I'm sure the cries to bring Papelbon back will increase. I for one wouldn't mind having him back if Koji continues to struggle, but I want Koji to have his fair chance to turn things around before we look into other alternatives.
The other question for me is "what would Philly want in return?" I'm not worried so much about money, but the Phillies may start looking at guys we don't want to give up.