There's nothing new in terms of the Philadelphia Phillies' unwillingness to trade their veterans unless they get exactly what they want, but there are new proposals that the team has rejected. The latest came from the Milwaukee Brewers.
Jonathan Papelbon has been the subject of trade talks in recent weeks and the Brewers have been considered the top destination for the closer. The two sides were in "serious discussions" a little while back, but talks stalled a number of times because of disputes about how much the Phillies would cover of Papelbon's $13 million vesting option as well as player compensation coming back to Philadelphia.
Now the two are seemingly intertwined.
According to FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal, the Phillies have rejected the Brewers' most recent proposal of a Jonathan Broxton-for-Papelbon trade as way to "balance the finances." Broxton is set to earn $9 million in 2015 and has a $9 million team option for 2016 with a $2 million buyout. Papelbon is likely to earn $26 million over the next two seasons while Broxton is guaranteed $11 million over that span. The reason the Brewers offered this deal was because the Phillies reportedly will only pay a "significant part" of Papelbon's contract if they were to receive a top prospect in return. The Brewers, who already have a weak farm system, are unwilling to do that.
"For the Brewers, the exchange of Broxton for Papelbon would have provided more of a bona fide closer, but no additional depth," writes Rosenthal. "For the Phillies, the proposal was even less attractive -- they were not landing a prospect or realizing a significant financial benefit, sources said."
As a result, the talks are currently "dormant" and it appears as if the Phillies may have lost yet another trade partner. They perhaps have had a number of other clubs rebuff them as they demand three top prospects for left-hander Cole Hamels while also refusing to cover a decent portion of his contract.
As for Milwaukee, they have other options at the closer role since Francisco Rodriguez (who closed for them last season) and Rafael Soriano are still available on the free-agent market. Rosenthal also noted Rodriguez is seeking a two-year deal, which the Brewers might consider since they'd be paying much more for Papelbon over the next two seasons if they were to strike a deal.
It looks like the Phillies will be stuck with Papelbon and his $13 million salary heading into the 2015 season. At this point it looks more likely he'll be traded before the July 31 deadline.
