Jonathan Papelbon – a Mistake

The sight of Jonathan Papelbon shutting down the Sox two nights in a row this week was a bitter pill to swallow for Sox fans. Boston has let top relievers get away before, like the infamous trade of Sparky Lyle to the Yankees in 1972 for journeyman Danny Cater. Lyle went on to twice lead the league in saves and helped the Bombers win two World Series. But Lyle was simply a good reliever in Boston, not the folk hero Pap was.   Jonathan Papelbon was more than a showman on the Sox- in many ways he was the soul of the team, both on and off the field. His relief figures here were awesome- 5 all-star selections, the most saves ever for a Sox rookie, first hurler to record 25 saves in each of his five full seasons, and fastest in history to earn 200 saves. When he took the mound and stared at a batter, he seemed to be saying "You know I'm going to get you out, you f____er!" He has continued to pitch at top level in Philly.   The circumstances of Papelbon's departure in 2011 could have to do with the chaos surrounding the Sox in September of that year. As the team was blowing a 9-game wild card lead, GM Theo Epstein apparently had one foot out the door. Tito Francona seemed to have lost control. Pap was not blameless in the slide, blowing two saves, including the loss to the Orioles that eliminated the Sox. But that was hardly a reason to not even try to sign him. His save numbers had decreased since 08, but still remained over 30. In 2011, he walked only 10 batters and fanned 87, excellent numbers for a closer.

 

Exactly a month after Epstein left for Chicago, Papelbon signed a four-year deal with the Phillies with a potential $60 million value. If the Sox felt they could easily replace him, they were dead wrong. A Peter Abraham article in the Globe mentioned Daniel Bard and free agents Ryan Madson, Joe Nathan and three others as potential replacements. It didn't happen. Bard is now back in the minors trying to regain the form that made him an effective setup man. None of the free agents mentioned by Abraham signed with Boston. The Sox ended up bringing in Mark Melancon, who failed miserably and was traded. Another trade acquisitioin, Joel Hanrahan, was also ineffective and had to submit to Tommy John surgery. Andrew Bailey has emerged as a closer in 2013. He has a bit of the Papelbon competitiveness, but has been injury-prone since his great rookie year of 09.

 

Sox fans hope the team has learned from their mistakes-closers like Papelbon do not grow on trees. The team has found out the hard way that some players just can't be replaced.