Jonathan Papelbon Rips Entire Philadelphia Phillies Organization

A long losing streak usually brings out the worst in players. It also leads to them making statements they might later regret. 

This is exactly what happened Sunday with the always-vocal Jonathan Papelbon, who believes the Philadelphia Phillies require a lot of change going forward. Following his team’s 12-4 loss to the Detroit Tigers, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports on some of the closer’s very negative opinions about his team:

Asked what he thought about the direction the organization is headed, he sighed.

“Oh, man,” he said. “We could be here all day.”

So then what about this team’s ability to turn things around, if not this season, then next season?

“It’s going to take, in my opinion, a lot,” he said. “And in my opinion, I think it’s going to have to be something very similar to what the Red Sox went through a couple years ago. From top to bottom.”

At least when he was asked about possibly being traded, he declined by saying, “No, I would like to stay here. But if I’m going to have to put up with this year after year, then no, I don’t want to be here. Why would you? Why would anybody?”

This is obviously not what you want to hear from anyone on the team. While no one enjoys losing, the closer called out all of his teammates, as well as other members of the organization, by saying they needed to be replaced in order to be successful.

Of course, this type of attitude is almost understandable from Phillies players, as the team is in the midst of an eight-game losing streak. The latest loss drops it to 49-56 on the year, which is 10.5 games back of the Atlanta Braves in the NL East.

If the year continues to go in this direction, it will be the first losing season for the organization since 2002. 

As for Papelbon, he is in the second year of a four-year, $50 million contract that he signed after the 2011 season. He has been solid with a 2.27 ERA and 0.88 WHIP, but he also has five blown saves in 25 opportunities.

Despite this success, it is unlikely his latest comments are making him any new friends in the Phillies clubhouse.

 

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