A year of waiting is over for pitcher Jonathan Papelbon as the Philadelphia Phillies traded him to the Washington Nationals and will maintain his role as a closer for his new club.
The Nationals sent Double-A pitcher Nick Pivetta to the Phillies to complete the trade deal.
Papelbon's 2016 vesting option worth $13 million is now an $11 million salary with a part of it to be deferred, according to ESPN's source.
The source also said that Washington will pay Papelbon $507,500 (Major League Baseball minimum) for the remainder of this season.
Despite playing with the Phillies for the past three seasons and missing the playoffs each year, Papelbon is still very efficient since his time with the Boston Red Sox. In the past 10 seasons, he tallied 342 saves and is 17-for-17 this season in save chances.
Pitcher Drew Storen who has been the closer for the Red Sox now becomes a setup pitcher to give way to Papelbon.
"Papelbon is our ninth-inning pitcher. Drew will pitch the ninth inning at times when Papelbon is unavailable and be our setup guy in the eighth inning as we are constructed today," Nats general manager Mike Rizzo said, according to ESPN.
Meanwhile, Papelbon said he joined the Nationals not because of the money but his desire to win.
"I think the main reason why I accepted this trade to come here is because I've played against these guys for four years now and I've seen the way the organization has become and to me it's a fitting organization for me. There's a bunch of baseball players here that want to win and that's all I ask for is to come here and try to win," Papelbon said, according to the Washington Post.
Rizzo said they traded for Papelbon because he wants to win and is a proven winner.
Papelbon joined the Phillies following the 2011 season where they won 102 games; and he believed the club would help him win his second World Series championship.
Instead, Philadelphia never made it to the postseason since he joined; and as of this season, the club currently holds the worst record in the MLB.
