Jonathan Papelbon has a problem, and it isn’t his run of the mill which-glare-to-give type issue. Pap should have taken the generous deal he was offered in the offseason, but he not only didn’t, he talked semi-loudly of other teams he might pitch for, bringing his clutch playoff record and big-game poise to bear for some other club….

About that playoff record, Pap…

If the Sox had missed the playoffs, or if they had blown it any way not coming out of Papelbon’s hand, we could see him generating a ton of interest, and not just from the perrenial money teams, either. In fact, we’d have bet on a sometimes-contender like Cleveland or a team that wanted to make a statement, like Baltimore to push to come up with the cash.
The perfect possibility? Really our money was on the Cubs, who need to make some kind of move to turn themselves back into a contender and away from joke status….2008 playoffs, anyone? Pap would have fit the mold, and he, like Schilling before him, would enjoy getting cozy with the idea that He was there to be the drought-ending hero.

There’s no doubt that bringing Pap to Chi-town would have made a hell of a narrative. And while the new ownership makes actuality hard to predict, such a move might well have fit, at least with the previous ownership’s ethos.

But Pap’s epic meltdown (2 outs in the ninth, if you’ve successfully blocked it out. Lucky you, but we digress…) was the stuff nightmares are made of if you’re an agent. He still throws just a hard and glares just as awesomely, but he’s just not the sure thing he was at this time last year.

Of course, his bad outing probably has zero to do with him as a pitcher. And if he were a free agent next season, we wouldn’t be writing this at all. But even the GM’s meeting is scaled down this year, becase of the economy. Let’s not kid ourselves about the sort of contract that’s going to hit the table.
Who wants him and has cash?
Yankees? Not unless they want to piss off fans and disrespect the he’ll out of the best closer of all time just to deliver an F-you to the Red Sox. Nope. Next?

Mets have been clear they are looking for a solid number two starter, and have a zillion other places to spend limited cash.

Detroit needs to cut their bloated payroll and the Twins continue to prove you can win that division poor, so ownership is unlikely to bite. Ditto White Sox on all counts. The Angels need to–finally–address their total power vacuum. Dodgers might be a fit, but they’re rumored to be looking for a starter to replace Billingsley. So who’s left?
Yup. Pap has a problem.