The Philadelphia Phillies have been as bad as advertised in 2015, and their losses could be the Chicago Cubs' gain in the form of a trade acquisition of Phillies closer Jonathan Papelbon.
According to Jayson Stark of ESPN, the Cubs may have already spoken with Philadelphia GM Ruben Amaro about Papelbon:
Other clubs say they thought Phillies close to trading Papelbon last month, then pulled back. Heard they spoke to Jays, Cubs, Tex, LA & more
— Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) July 8, 2015
With the Chicago Cubs currently occupying one of the National League's two wild card spots and leaning on Pedro Strop to close games, it's extremely plausible that the Cubs could target a proven closer to round out the back of the bullpen for the stretch run.
The 34-year-old Papelbon may be one of the best options out there, regardless of his $13 million price tag for next season. He's pitching to a 1.60 ERA and sub-1.00 WHIP for the Phillies this season, converting on all 14 of his save opportunities.
Stay tuned.
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