Jonathan Papelbon Open to Joining the New York Yankees?

To date, this off-season has undoubtedly been the winter of the closer’s market.

The Dodgers nearly acquired the gas-guzzling Aroldis Champman, the Red Sox traded for all-star closer Craig Kimbrel, the Milwaukee Brewers sent Francisco Rodriguez to the Detroit Tigers, the Houston Astros found the closer they so desperately needed when they traded for Ken Giles and Yankees closer Andrew Miller has been in and out of trade discussions all winter long.

On the free-age forefront, Darren O’Day kicked things off when he signed with the Baltimore Orioles and Steve Cishek followed him up by signing with the Seattle Mariners.

The next big domino to fall might be Jonathan Papelbon, and according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN, Papelbon just recently update his No-Trade-List and is now open to a trade with the New York Yankees, meaning the Washington Nationals can ship him to the Bronx without garnering his approval.

It’s no secret that the Nationals have been trying to deal the 35-year old closer ever since the bizarre dugout incident in which he got into a heated argument with 2015 National League MVP Bryce Harper and proceeded to choke him in front of teammates in the middle of a game.

Per Papelbon’s contract, the right-hander owns a list of 12 teams who don’t need his approval to acquire him. Along with the New York Yankees, his revised list now includes his two former teams – the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies as well as the Cubs, Indians, Tigers, Angels, Cardinals, Rays, Giants, Padres and the New York Mets.

He’s also owed $11 million in 2016 before becoming a free agent next winter.

Though Jerry Crasnick didn’t specify whether or not the Yankees have interest in the 35-year old reliever, this development is rather interesting.

The Yankees still have the 1-2 punch of Andrew Miller and Dellin Betances in tact to handle the eighth and ninth inning, but they are currently searching for a reliever to fill the void left behind by both Adam Warren and Justin Wilson when they were both traded respectively this off season. On top of that, we all know Brian Cashman is very high on creating a Kansas City Royals-esque super bullpen, as they were involved in the running for Craig Kimbrel and Aroldis Chapman during last years trade deadline and again when they were being shopped earlier this off-season.

While Papelbon might be a potential fit, there are still a number of hurdles that need to be cleared if he’s going to don the pinstripes.

For starters, Papelbon needs to accept that he wouldn’t carry the title of Yankees closer per se, as the 2015 American League Reliever of the Year Andrew Miller and his 36 saves owns that job by default. Next, Papelbon needs to accept that he isn’t the teams set-up man either, as Brooklyn native Dellin Betances and his career 1.78 ERA has that job on lock too. Papelbon needs to accept that he’d serve predominately as a seventh inning swing-man, and he needs to do it without causing a media circus like he did in Washington when he came in and took over for Drew Storen. This doesn’t mean Papelbon would be limited to just the seventh inning, as his major league resume proves he can be a fit anywhere in the bullpen, but a majority of his work load will likely occur before the ball is handed off to either Betances or Miller.

The next hurdle that needs to be cleared is the Washington Nationals asking price on Papelbon. Despite his high-profiled arm and despite the hot market for relievers this off-season, Papelbon still has just one year of service time left on his current contract. That said, if the Nationals are asking for a low return, the Yankees should be all over him. If the Nationals are looking to score a major return similar to other trade packages we’ve seen for relievers this winter, Brian Cashman should pass and look elsewhere to bolster the Yankees bullpen.

The last hurdle that needs to be cleared is whether or not Papelbon will taint the Yankees club house. While the Yankees still have their fair share of veterans, a majority of their club house is made up of young up and coming ball players like Luis Severino, Didi Gregorius, Starlin Castro, Aaron Hicks and potentially Gregory Bird, Aaron Judge, Jacob Lindgren and Gary Sanchez if and when they are called up in 2016. The last thing Brian Cashman needs is to bring in a guy who can damage the chemistry in the teams club house.

Still, there is something to be said about a change of scenery benefitting ball players, and this might be the case for Papelbon.

If all these hurdles can be cleared successfully, I think it would be wise for the Yankees to go out and pursue Jonathan Papelbon. If not, he can be someone else’s headache.

What do you think Yankee fans?

Let us know in the comments below.

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