Breaking: Jonathan Papelbon traded to Nationals

July 29th, 2015 by Sam Shipley | Filed under Baseball, MLB, Phillies.

jonathan-papelbon-phillies

According to multiple reports, Jonathan Papelbon has been traded to the Washington Nationals. The news was first reported by Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post.

Papelbon’s option for 2016 has been picked up by the Nationals, however, the deal has been restructured according to Ken Rosenthal of MLB.com.

There is no denying that Papelbon was arguably the best Phillies closer in history, and his numbers back that up. Papelbon converted 123 out of 138 save chances with the Phillies and leaves the team with a 2.31 ERA, 1.022 WHIP, and 9.5 K/9 IP as a Phillie. With Papelbon gone, it is expected that Ken Giles will take over the role as closer.

In return for Papelbon, the Phillies will receive Double-A RHP Nick Pivetta.

Pivetta is the Nationals 12th ranked prospect (7th ranked pitching prospect) according to MLB.com. Here is his profile on MLB.com:

“Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 50 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 50 | Overall: 45

Pivetta, a former Canadian Junior National Team star, spent his first full professional season with Class A Hagerstown. Though he remains somewhat raw, his big arm and prototypical starter’s build entice scouts.

There’s still some projection left for Pivetta, and he could end up pitching with a tick more velocity than he has now. His fastball typically sits in the low-90s, occasionally reaching 96 mph. His secondary stuff is still inconsistent, but he has the makings of a solid curveball and changeup. He’s still learning to consistently repeat his delivery, but at his best he fills up the strike zone with all his pitches.

Pivetta is far from a finished product, but he has the upside to develop into a Major League starter in time.”

 

Follow Sam Shipley on Twitter: @samshipley5

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