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Could Jonathan Papelbon’s grievance get him traded from Washington Nationals?

By Charles Rahrig V

Sep 23, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals relief pitcher Jonathan Papelbon (58) walks through the dugout after being ejected form the game for hitting Baltimore Orioles third baseman Manny Machado (not pictured) with a pitch during the ninth inning at Nationals Park. Baltimore Orioles defeated Washington Nationals 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 23, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals relief pitcher Jonathan Papelbon (58) walks through the dugout after being ejected form the game for hitting Baltimore Orioles third baseman Manny Machado (not pictured) with a pitch during the ninth inning at Nationals Park. Baltimore Orioles defeated Washington Nationals 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /
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Now that Jonathan Papelbon has filed a grievance against the Washington Nationals, could he be traded?

The 2015 season didn’t go the way the Washington Nationals expected it to go. While there were some positives, such as Max Scherzer’s dominant pitching and Bryce Harper’s first MVP, there were also plenty of problems for the Nationals last season.

One problem was poor managing, which led to Matt Williams getting fired. Another was the altercation between Harper and closer Jonathan Papelbon, which led to many wondering just when exactly the Nationals were going to trade Papelbon.

When the Nationals acquired Papelbon, they thought they were going to get one of the final pieces to the roster that they could make a World Series run with. That didn’t happen and the meltdown with Papelbon, led to Papelbon being suspended for the final four games of the 2015 season without pay.

Now, Papelbon has filed a grievance against the team that he is still currently under contract with. Papelbon is still owed $11 million in 2015, which he will receive from Washington if he remains on the roster. However, with the grievance and the tension between the two sides, could the Washington Nationals finally just move Papelbon to move on from the situation?

Papelbon still has very good stuff and can still be a very good closer in this league. Is the grievance and the problems between him and the Nationals enough for the Nationals to move on from someone that can be reliable in late-inning situations for them?

If they did decide to move Papelbon to a team in need of a closer, they might be able to get some good pieces in return for him. That’s also dependent upon if a team would want to add him to their roster, especially with the issues that he has had with Washington. Do teams want to risk clubhouse chemistry?

Things are beginning to get interesting in Washington.

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