Drew Storen doesn’t seem too excited about the Jonathan Papelbon deal
The Washington Nationals made a big move Tuesday, dealing for Philadelphia Phillies closer Jonathan Papelbon. While you would think most players on the team would be happy about picking up a premium closer, there was at least one Nationals who had mixed feelings on the move.
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Current closer Drew Storen gave somewhat of a strange quote when asked about the move. Storen told Bill Ladson of MLB.com that he was aware of the trade, but didn’t go into much detail on his thoughts.
“All I’m going to say is, I’m aware of the move and I’ve talked to Mike about it. I’ve talked to my agent about it,” Storen said. “We’ve had some ongoing discussions. Until those have progressed, I’m just going to leave it at that. No comment for now. But as the situation goes, I’ll keep you guys posted.”
Storen’s quote can be interpreted a number of ways. Since he is being moved out of the closers role, one major speculation is that Storen could ask the Nationals for a trade. This is the third time Storen has lost the ninth inning spot in his brief career with the Nationals. He hasn’t pitched poorly in the role, especially this year, so it’s easy to see why he would be frustrated.
It’s also possible that he’s talking to both sides about a possible extension. Storen will be eligible for arbitration during the offseason, and his save total will influence how much he gets paid. Perhaps Storen is asking that the Nationals pay him a fixed rate now so this move doesn’t impact him in the offseason.
It’s also possible that neither scenario is the case. We have no idea what Storen is talking to his agent about, but we can understand why he’s upset.
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Storen has been one of the better relievers in the game this season. Through 36 1/3 innings, he’s posted a 1.73 ERA with a career-high strikeout rate. He’s also saved 29 games, so he’s clearly been able to get the job done.
Papelbon has also been strong this season, and wouldn’t accept a trade to the Nationals unless he was the closer. He had all the leverage here, and used it to his advantage. While we can feel bad that Storen winds up getting moved into the eighth inning role, having Papelbon makes the Nationals a better team.
But, yeah, the whole thing kind of stinks for Storen. He’s pitched well, and now he’s being “demoted” to a lesser role. That’s not exactly the situation, but it will seem that way when it’s time for Storen to get paid. Arbitration hearings will often rely on traditional stats like saves in order to determine a player’s value, so Storen moving to the eighth actually could cost him some money in the offseason.
Everyone is going to have to get along soon, because it seems unlikely the Nationals will turn around and deal Storen as a result of this deal. Bringing in Papelbon strengthens a clear area of need, and it doesn’t make sense for the Nats to put themselves in the same hole by trading Storen a week later.
Storen has a reason to be upset, but, in the end, the team is better with both players. He might be upset now, but we suspect that anger will subside if the move leads to a World Series ring.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
