ANALYSIS/OPINION:
Everyone keeps referring to the trade that brought Jonathan Papelbon to Washington last year as an “experiment.”
I don’t know what the hell they are talking about.
You give up nothing – a little-known prospect named Nick Pivetta – for a six-time All-Star closer who had 342 career saves – including World Series championship saves in Boston. You acquired a closer who was having a standout year in Philadelphia, with a 1.59 ERA and 17 saves and the all-time franchise saves mark. You got a closer who you didn’t have to pay a dime to the rest of the 2015 season and, although pricey at $13 million ($1 million less than Washington was paying Rafael Soriano the year before), you had him under contract through 2016.