Senator wants Nationals to dump Jonathan Papelbon

Senator wants the Washington Nationals to cut Jonathan Papelbon.

When it comes to the Washington Nationals and their off-season under new manager Dusty Baker, the one area that everyone is paying attention to is the status of closer Jonathan Papelbon. After Papelbon was suspended for the lat few games of the season after an altercation with Bryce Harper, there’s been speculation as to when the Nationals were finally going to move on from Papelbon.

The problem for the Nationals is that they had a disappointing season in 2015, and if they’re going to be World Series contenders, they need a reliable closer. Trading Papelbon removes a closer from the roster and the team would have to arguably give up talent in a trade to go get one.

Also a problem for the Nationals trying to dump Papelbon is his no-trade clause, which features 17 teams. Despite all the obstacles of moving Papelbon, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell spoke to Politico and he wants the team to move on from Papelbon, as a fresh change of scenery could do both sides good as they both try to get to where they want to be.

"“First of all, they need to get rid of Papelbon,” McConnell, a hardcore Nationals fan, told Politico on Tuesday. “Getting in fights with the most valuable player in the National League strikes me as not a team-building exercise.”"

McConnell isn’t wrong. Trading Papelbon would probably be in the best interest of both sides, but with such limited trade options it might be hard for the Nationals to work out a deal unless they can get Papelbon to give his consent to being traded elsewhere.

If he remains on the roster heading into next season, it will be interesting to see how that dynamic affects the clubhouse given the incident between him and Harper. There’s still plenty of time for the Nationals to make a move before Spring Training, but they also have to be proactive on the other end, when they search for a replacement.