Phillies, Brewers having 'serious discussions' on Jonathan Papelbon deal

The Phillies could be about to dump some more payroll, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports disagrees on how far along negotiations have gone.

In what Passan described as "serious discussions," the Phillies and Brewers are talking about a potential deal that would take Jonathan Papelbon off the Philadelphia roster. Papelbon is owed $13 million this season, with an option of an additional $13 million for 2016, should he finish 48 games.

Papelbon's deal is one of the elephantine contracts the Phillies are trying to get rid of, and 34-year-old Papelbon likely has no desire to stay in a city during a rebuild at this point in his career. The Brewers, after dealing pitcher Yovani Gallardo to the Rangers last week (and thus creating a $13 million-hole in their payroll), mentioned their desire to acquire late inning relief. On these levels, a trade matches up.

But there's always the matter of Papelbon's no-trade list, which includes Milwaukee and 16 other teams. The closer would have to waive the stipulation to push through any potential deal, and would be willing to do so only if his vesting option is maintained in Milwaukee.

Teams to whom Papelbon would accept a trade, according to Jim Salisbury, include the Red Sox, Astros, Cubs, Reds, Padres, Mariners, Rays, Royals, Angels, Mets, Braves, and Cardinals.