Trade talks between the Phillies and the Brewers centering around closer Jonathan Papelbon have come to a stop reports Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
There are a lot of obstacles to overcome for both teams in any deal involving Papelbon. The biggest obstacle is his vesting option for the 2016 season which is worth $13 million. The Brewers would want the Phillies to pick up some of the remaining money owed to Papelbon.
“It doesn’t appear there’s any momentum to it right now,” Brewers general manager Doug Melvin told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “It could be revived later, I guess, but right now there’s nothing happening.”
If the Phillies want to move Papelbon they will have to end up eating some of his salary even after he had another strong season in 2014.
Another potential problem for the Brewers is the $9 million they owe Jonathan Broxton. He could end up in their closers role while other free agent options include Rafael Soriano and Casey Janssen.
Papelbon, 34, racked up 39 saves while posting a 2.04 ERA and a 0.90 WHIP last season but is nothing more than a high priced end of game option on a team that is not expected to compete in 2015.
