I already discussed this idea about a month and a half ago. Now, thanks to some comments made by Steve Phillips on WEEI and of course Papelbon's ALDS meltdown, the rumors are flying around stronger than ever.

Despite his incredibly disappointing performance in Game 3, Papelbon still has a postseason ERA of 1.00, a regular season ERA of 1.84, and averages 38 saves per season. He's still a very marketable commodity, and his ultra-competitive attitude tends to hint that he'll rebound from this setback and return better than ever.

As I said in the previous post, trading Papelbon might actually be a good move, provided they get the right player(s) in return. The Red Sox desperately need to upgrade at catcher and shortstop, and it looks like they'll need to find a replacement for Jason Bay, since he'll be a free agent, and appear to be leaning towards the West coast.

Now, however, Billy Wagner isn't the primary fall-back plan... which might be a blessing in disguise. Wagner is reportedly considering retirement, but the Red Sox will receive draft pick compensation if he signs elsewhere, which the Sox would prefer.

It's hard to gauge exactly who they could get in a multi-player deal, but here are some guys for whom I would trade Papelbon, straight up, in order of preference. I tried to be slightly realistic, but of course there's no guarantee that these team would part with them:

1. Elvis Andrus, SS, Texas Rangers - He still could use a little improvement at the plate, but he's an incredible defensive shortstop.
2. Troy Tulowitzki, SS, Colorado Rockies - He's by far the best power hitting shortstop in baseball, and would fit very nicely in the Red Sox lineup.
3. Taylor Teagarden, C, Rangers - He's a very good young catcher, and the Rangers have Jarrod Saltalamacchia as a Plan B.
4. Geovany Soto, C, Chicago Cubs - The 2008 NL Rookie of the Year had a rough season in '09, but he's still young, and a move to the Red Sox lineup could do him some good.
5. Jason Bartlett, SS, Tampa Bay Rays - He was a legit MVP candidate, and I honestly don't think the Rays would pull the trigger on this, but they could use a new closer.
6. Yunel Escobar, SS, Atlanta Braves - Escobar is another one of the better up and coming shortstops. Solid at the plate and in the field, he'd fill their SS need nicely.
7. Yadier Molina, C, St Louis Cardinals - Molina might be the best defensive catcher in the league. He's not exactly a slugger, but he's no slouch at the plate, either. His defensive skills alone would make it worth it for the Sox.


What do you think? Which one of these teams might pull the trigger on these deals? And should the Red Sox trade Papelbon? Daniel Bard is widely assumed to be their closer of the future, and he pitched very well in the postseason, and has great stuff. Is it time to move on? For the right price, it just might be.


Phillips on D&C: Trade Papelbon [WEEI]
Boston Red Sox Trading Closer Papelbon? [Yahoo Sports]
Lack Of Progress On Bay A Sign [Boston Herald]
Billy Wagner Possible Hang-Up [Boston Herald]