Say hey, baseball: Jonathan Papelbon will be 'disappointed' if he isn't traded

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The Phillies are going to trade Jonathan Papelbon before the July 31st trade deadline. Well, probably. Papelbon has a limited no-trade clause and no desire to be a setup man, but given his performance in 2015 (and, you know, for the last decade), no one should have any issue with him continuing his duties as a closer. So, as long as the Phillies don't ask for far too much or their potential trade partners attempt to acquire Paps for too little, he should be moved within the next few weeks. That'll make him happy, too, as Papelbon said he'd be "disappointed" if he weren't dealt from the last-place, clearly rebuilding Phillies during the last guaranteed year of his deal.

Who could Papelbon help? Basically every contending team or one on the bubble. He has a 1.56 ERA, and has struck out 9.4 batters per nine, helping him along to a strikeout-to-walk ratio of nearly five. He's inducing a career-high ground ball rate of 51 percent, so he's either striking opponents out on his own or making it easy for the defense behind him to put them away. He's one of the greatest closers ever, having one of his greatest seasons ever, and while he has a vesting option for 2016 should he finish 48 games this season, that's a bargain for a pitcher this good.

The problem with the Papelbon deal when it was signed before 2012 was the Phillies' insistence on making it happen right away -- it cost them two draft picks -- and that it was a four-year deal for a reliever with an easily vested option. Papelbon has now made it through almost the entire contract, though, so the risk is significantly lessened. If you could sign Papelbon or Craig Kimbrel for $13 million one-year contracts every season, you should, and would. Papelbon will find a new home shortly because of this. The question at this point is mostly what the Phillies will get back in exchange.

• The All-Star Game reserves have been announced, as have the candidates for the Final Vote process for each league. Alex Rodriguez, who is batting .284/.390/.513 in 77 games for the Yankees this year, is not on either list for the American League. That likely has more to do with his being a DH and the All-Star Game happening in Cincinnati than anything, but still. Boo.


• Clayton Kershaw, aka the best active pitcher on the planet, has to be voted in to participate in the All-Star Game thanks to an uncharacteristic start to the year.


• Both the AL and NL starting lineups are stacked, but which would you rather have as an actual team's starting lineup?


• MLB is getting Twitter accounts suspended for posting GIFs, and Vine accounts suspended for posting, well, Vines. They're the only major sports organization who has a problem with people spreading their game around through visual media, and it could come back to bite them someday.


• Here's how to understand if you're a seller at the MLB trade deadline. Reds fans better hope Walt Jocketty subscribes to this newsletter.


• For real, though, the Reds are holding up the entire trade deadline because they haven't decided if they're buyers or sellers and they're the ones with Johnny Cueto.


• Rain got crazy in Kansas City on Monday, and turned the Royals' dugout into a waterfall.


• Remember, pitchers, make sure someone is at first base to catch your pickoff throw before you make it.


• The Red Sox have graduated Xander Bogaerts, Mookie Betts, Blake Swihart and Eduardo Rodriguez from their farm system in the last season-plus, yet still have three of the top 15 prospects in baseball thanks to recent international signings.


• The Braves hoped Cameron Maybin would be useful when they traded Craig Kimbrel for him, but he's been so good that they now need to decide if he should be traded again, or kept around.