Phillies closer Jonathan Papelbon didn't hold back at All-Star Media Day on Tuesday, saying he wants to be and expects to be traded by the Phillies.

“The Phillies have got to make a decision. You’ve got to go one way or the other,” Papelbon told reporters in Cincinnati.  “If this decision was solely on my shoulders, I would’ve been gone a long time ago.”

“You can’t be in limbo and sit here and say, ‘What if we do this or what if we do that?’ You’ve got to make a decision and you’ve got to go with it. I know that we’ve got a new interim president. We’ve got a new interim manager and we’ve got all this change supposedly happening, but I don’t see any of it yet.”

Papelbon reiterated last week that he wanted to be traded and indicated that the Phillies management change has had some impact in him being traded.  ESPN.com senior baseball writer Jayson Stark said on the Sports Bash last week that the Phillies may have had a deal in place back in June, but the impending changes at the top may have had an impact on why Papelbon is still here.

"I know that we’ve got a new interim president," Papelbon stated.  "We’ve got a new interim manager and we’ve got all this change supposedly happening, but I don’t see any of it yet.”

The 34-year-old has a 1.65 ERA on 32.2 innings this season while going 14-for-14 in save chances.

 

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