Gresh & Zo: Heyman: 'Papelbon A Difficult Employee'
From his glare on the mound to the fist pumps after a save, we know Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon is as intense as they come when it comes to baseball.
But how about a tough employee?
Sports Illustrated Senior Baseball writer Jon Heyman joined Gresh and Zolak on 98.5 The Sports Hub this afternoon, and employee number-58 was a hot topic.
"I don't know because I'm not around him, but the perception I get is he's a tough employee, a tough customer to have around and they're probably tired of him," Heyman said about Papelbon. "It's probably a tiresome act. But I'm talking about it from a distance. You hear things, but it's not fair for me to repeat anything that I hear other than he's probably a difficult employee."
Listen To What Jon Heyman Had To Say In Its Entirety
The Red Sox shopped Papelbon all winter, so would they be open to trading him before or during the season?
"He's still a very good pitcher, although he had an off year last year for him," Heyman added. "They have two other options right now with (Bobby) Jenks and (Daniel) Bard. When you have three possibilites, it's something to consider."
Last season Papelbon had 37 saves for the Red Sox, but finished the season 5-7 and posted career highs in nearly every other category including blown saves (8) and ERA (3.90).
The Red Sox revamped their bullpen this off-season with the addition of former White Sox closer Bobby Jenks to go along with the up-and-coming fireballer Daniel Bard. So Boston does have some wiggle room if they do elect to trade the 30-year-old Papelbon.
But Heyman says nothing is iminent.
"I think they're open to it and willing to do it," he said. "I don't know that anything is hot right now."
So what do you think? Be sure to vote in our sports poll and submit your comments. Just be sure to keep it clean!
