Could Papelbon be stuck with the Phillies?

A week ago Monday, during his now-infamous pre-All-Star Game sound-off regarding his desire to be traded, Jonathan Papelbon was asked if he had pondered the possibility he might be stuck with the Phillies.

"Of course," he said that afternoon in Cincinnati. "That thought definitely goes through my mind. Like I said, man, it's one step at a time. I can't think that far ahead."

But as the July 31 trade deadline nears, the possibility lingers that the veteran closer might remain with baseball's worst team until at least the offseason. The 34-year-old righthander's salary has long been a sticking point in any trade discussion involving him, and there are only so many contending teams in need of a closer for the rest of this season.

While the Phillies worked toward a 5-4, 10-inning win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday, an ESPN.com report citing anonymous sources indicated that three potential suitors - the Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago Cubs, and Los Angeles Dodgers - no longer "actively pursued" Papelbon's services. The Cubs and Blue Jays, the Phillies' two opponents on their coming five-game road trip, have been the most-speculated landing spots for the six-time all-star.

"Haven't heard nothing about it," Papelbon said Wednesday after pitching two more scoreless innings and earning the win after Odubel Herrera's game-winning single. "I go to work and prepare to get guys out. Whatever team I'm on don't matter."

Papelbon, more terse than his usual outspoken self, said he had "no idea" whether those were his final pitches in a Phillies uniform at Citizens Bank Park. "You've got to ask our general manager that question," he said, referring to Ruben Amaro Jr. "Or [incoming team president] Andy MacPhail. One of those guys."

Papelbon's $13 million option for 2016 vests if he finishes only 15 more games - Wednesday's game was the 33d he completed this season - so that figure must be factored into any trade proposals. Even after the trade deadline, he will be owed a shade more than $4.5 million of the $13 million he will make this year.

The more salary the Phillies subsidize in a potential deal, the better the package in return. But there also, of course, needs to be a team on the other end willing to strike a deal.

The Blue Jays, at times considered the favorite to land Papelbon, revealed their intentions this week to move starter Aaron Sanchez to the back of their bullpen upon the completion of the 23-year-old righthander's rehab assignment. The Cubs recently brought veteran Rafael Soriano up from triple A, giving manager Joe Maddon another late-game relief option.

Papelbon, meanwhile, continues to pitch for the rebuilding Phillies. He needed only 20 pitches over the ninth and 10th innings Wednesday, escaping the former unscathed because of an incredible, bare-handed defensive play by third baseman Andres Blanco.

The closer's 1-2-3 10th set the stage for Herrera's game-winning single, which capped an 11-pitch at-bat. Herrera extended it with six foul balls in two-strike counts against Rays all-star Brad Boxberger.

The win was the Phillies' fifth in six games since the all-star break and gave them their first back-to-back series triumphs of the season. Papelbon, after finding work scarce for most of the season's unofficial first half, pitched four times over those six games.

Any potential trade deadline distractions have not affected Papelbon's effectiveness. He has converted each of his 16 save opportunities this season and has lowered his ERA to 1.63.

"It don't bother me. I just grind and I just show up to play and get outs," he said. "That's all I do."

1.63

Jonathan Papelbon's ERA.

$17.5

His salary, in millions, through 2016 if he finishes 15 more games this year.

3

Teams - Dodgers, Cubs, Blue Jays - who reportedly will not actively pursue Papelbon.EndText