Phillies trade Papelbon to Washington in exchange for double-A pitcher as Giles takes over closer role
THE DEAL: The Phillies send Jonathan Papelbon and $4.5 million to the Washington Nationals. The extra money to the Nationals accounts for the remainder of Papelbon’s salary for 2015. Papelbon reportedly agreed to waive his vesting option for 2016 valued at $13 million in exchange for a guaranteed 2016 at $11 million. In return, the Nationals send minor league prospect Nick Pivetta to the Phillies. Pivetta was promoted up to double-A this season after starting in Class A Advanced. The 22-year old pitcher was selected in the fourth round of the 2013 draft.
WHAT NOW: With Papelbon gone, Ken Giles takes over as the closer for the Phillies. It has long been suspected Giles could be developed and molded to be the closer for the team, and it got off to a good start Tuesday night in Toronto. Giles entered the game asked to protect a 3-2 lead against the Blue Jays. He did just that despite losing a nine-pitch battle against lead-off hitter Edwin Encarnacion. The second half of the season should be a decent litmus test to see how Giles handles the role on a regular basis, and he likely will be the team’s closer in 2016 if things go well.
Pivetta will move from Harrisburg to Reading for the remainder of the season. To date, Pivetta has a 3.02 ERAS in 101.1 innings pitched this season. He has struck out 78 and walked 38 batters. Without being much of an expert on the minor league system, it would seem likely he spends the rest of the season with the Fightins. With the expectation of possibly being a middle-of-the-rotation type of pitcher for the Phillies, he may still be a couple of years away from suiting up with the Phillies.
Papelbon will be the new closer for the Nationals, as he would have only agreed to waive his no-trade clause to Washington if it meant he would continue to be the closer. That moves Drew Storen into a set-up role in Washington and gives the Nationals a very strong back-end in the eighth and ninth innings.
WHAT’S NEXT: Now all of the attention shifts squarely on the future of Cole Hamels. Fresh off his first career no-hitter Saturday in Wrigley Field, Hamels remains one of the top players around the league to be obtained via trade, if the Phillies feel a good enough deal is offered. Trading Hamels seems the most liekly way to help refuel the organization with prospects for the future, but few teams have been willing to offer the top prospects in their organizations the Phillies deem necessary. If the intent is to move Hamels, the good news is there appear to be multiple teams making efforts to get a deal done. That includes the Dodgers, Cubs, Giants, and Astros.
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