What should the Sox do with Papelbon?

Jonathan Papelbon blew his sixth save of the season yesterday against the Toronto Blue Jays. He left far too many pitches up in the strike zone, and he pitched so awfully overall that he could not finish the inning and had to be replaced by Daniel Bard with with out and the bases loaded. While it was Bard who allowed the winning run to score via a sacrifice fly, make no mistake about it: Jonathan Papelbon cost the Red Sox the game, the sweep, momentum heading into a series against a tough Texas Rangers team, and a game in the playoff hunt.

Each rough outing from Papelbon, and there have been many, brings new calls to replace him as closer with Daniel Bard. But is that really the best move for the Red Sox at this point? The problem is not that Bard is not ready, but what to do with Papelbon once he is no longer the closer. Papelbon is at his best when the pressure is greatest, i.e. the ninth inning. His best is clearly not good enough at the moment, but less than his best in the seventh or eighth inning would be even worse. The Red Sox would essentially be exchanging Bard and Papelbon at his best for Bard and Papelbon at less than his best.

Then there is the problem of Papelbon's reaction to such a move. Papelbon is not a player who is shy about speaking his mind to reports and has rightly been criticized for some of his comments in the past. He would not take well to being replaced and could cause problems for the Red Sox both in public and in the clubhouse. The Red Sox are already facing a tough stretch run as they try to earn a playoff spot, and the last thing they need is a distraction of that nature.

So what should the Red Sox do? The answer right now is nothing. They can't make him a setup man, and they can't trade him either. Not only would it be unwise to trade a key piece of their bullpen in the middle of a playoff chase, but he would never clear waivers, which he would need to do before the Red Sox could trade him this late in the season. After the season, however, is a different story. Papelbon has one year of arbitration eligibility left before he becomes a free agent. When he hits the free agent market, the Red Sox will likely let him leave as they will not want to pay top dollar, which is what Papelbon will be seeking, for an increasingly shaky closer. Therefore, Sox GM Theo Epstein would be wise to at least explore trading him in the offseason, but for right now the Red Sox can only cross their fingers and hope for the best.