Papelbon: 'We can compete . . . is that crazy?'

CLEARWATER, Fla. - Jonathan Papelbon insisted Friday he didn't pay attention to offseason trade speculation.

Judging from his first public comments at spring training, it's also worth wondering how much he heard or read the front office's stated intentions to rebuild the Phillies. The 34-year-old closer said he's "not so sold on this entire rebuilding" mind-set. He and the team's other remaining veterans, he said, will seek more clarity from president Pat Gillick and general manager Ruben Amaro Jr.

"I still think we can compete," Papelbon said. "Is that crazy for me to think that?"

The Phillies committed to rebuilding as early as October, when Gillick predicted that the team would not contend again until 2017 or 2018. A team with no designs on the playoffs does not need a $13 million-per-year closer, and thus the Phillies have long sought a suitor for the sometimes controversial yet still effective Papelbon.

The Milwaukee Brewers and Toronto Blue Jays have been reported as potential landing spots. Both clubs are among those to which Papelbon can block a trade, so he would likely ask for his $13 million option for 2016 (which vests if he finishes 48 games this year) to be guaranteed. The Phillies would have to pay a considerable portion of the contract to consummate a deal.

When asked Friday whether he would require his option to be picked up to facilitate a trade, Papelbon offered a vague response, saying, "I think it depends on where I'm going, what the situation is with that other ball club, what my situation is here. The whole equation comes into play."

"I would go anywhere that wants me," said Papelbon, who overcame decreased velocity last season to convert 39 of 43 saves and record a 2.04 ERA. "If Philadelphia still wants me and they want me to be a piece of this puzzle and continue to be a leader in this bullpen, I love my chances of staying here and competing.

"But if Toronto wants me, if Milwaukee wants me, whoever wants me, they're going to get someone who knows how to compete and go play ball and lay it on the line. That's basically what it boils down to for me."

Papelbon wore a T-shirt under his hooded sweatshirt that read "Fan Favorite." Despite his well-documented antics, he said none of the Phillies' veterans "will say, 'Oh, we're not out of here. Oh, we're still here and they're rebuilding' or sit here and complain."

"I don't think anybody is going to sit there and just lay down," he said. "I know that for a fact. I've played with Chase [Utley] long enough. I've played with Cliff [Lee] long enough. I've played with Cole [Hamels], [Ryan Howard] and some of these leaders on the team. None of us are going to just lay down. We're going to go and be professionals and compete."

After he was not dealt before the July 31 trade deadline, Papelbon said Amaro ensured him that the team was still going to try to contend. The front office, of course, altered direction after a second consecutive 89-loss season with its aging core.

"The way I look at it, it's 'A' or 'B,' " Papelbon said. "I come in here into spring training the same way I have every year. Nothing's going to change that. . . . If I throw up the great numbers and the Phillies decide they want to go to a true disassemble of the team and get rid of me, so be it. If I go out there, have a great year [and] they want to keep me and want me to be a part of this bullpen and help it continue to grow, that's what I do. Very simple."