The Milwaukee Brewers still have Francisco Rodriguez in their back pocket for now, but they still have their eyes set on a trade for Philadelphia Phillies closer Jonathan Papelbon.
Despite rumors suggesting the trade was dead just a few days ago, Tom Haudricourt suggests he believes the Brewers want to get a trade for Papelbon completed, even if money is considered the biggest roadblock currently.
I get impression #Brewers would like to find way to do problematic Papelbon trade. If that fails, fall-back position likely is K-Rod.
— Tom (@Haudricourt) January 28, 2015
While trading for Joanthan Papelbon makes sense from an on-field standpoint, how much he would cost the Brewers is unknown. The Phillies are said to want some type of prospect in any Jonathan Papelbon deal and also want the acquiring team to pick up a hefty portion of his salary.
Obviously that’s not going to happen, so Philadelphia is either going to need to bite the bullet on a prospect (or two) and pay a large chunk of his remaining deal or simply give him away and only pay a small part.
Neither is exactly an ideal scenario for the Phillies, especially since Papelbon is still a good closer, but they made their bed and it’s now their mess to clean up.
As for the Milwaukee Brewers, again, on-field, Jonathan Papelbon is still very good. There have to be obvious concerns about the locker room, especially after his rants in Philadelphia, but if they can get him for a fair price it has to be considered a good move.
