Papelbon Leaves Boston

Jonathan Papelbon being a fixture in the Boston bullpen and shutting the door in the 9th inning for the Sox is a thing of the past. But boy was it a good run for Papelbon in Boston. Papelbon was a four time All-Star selection while in Boston and racked up 219 saves in his six years with the BoSox. Though I'm sure the Red Sox will immediately miss his impact, Papelbon has seemed to be on the decline the last couple years.

That's why I'm sort of shocked the Philadelphia Phillies would give a guy like Papelbon the sort of contract they gave him. Four years and 50 million dollars, 12.5 million per year , seems to be a high amount for a position where players seem to come and go year in and year out. The closer is such a high variance position in which long-term contracts for large amounts of money generally blow up in the franchise's face. But, I guess we'll see how it works out in the long run for the Phils. At least if they win their division, they'll get to witness some of the most tremendously bad dancing they have ever seen by Papelbon.