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Anyone else think the closer position in greatly overrated? Papelbon got paid way too much, IMO.
Jonathan Papelbon is closing the book on his tenure with the Boston Red Sox.
Papelbon, the longtime Red Sox right-hander who has anchored their bullpen for six years, including a World Series title in 2007, has agreed to a four-year, $50 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies pending a physical, a source familiar with the negotiations told ESPN.com senior writer Jayson Stark on Friday.
Papelbon
The deal includes a vesting option that could take it beyond $60 million for the 30-year-old, the source said. Another source close to the situation said the physical with the Phillies won't occur until early next week, the earliest the contract could be finalized or announced.
If finalized, the contract would be the largest total package ever signed by a relief pitcher. The previous high was the five-year, $47 million deal signed by B.J. Ryan with Toronto in December 2005.
The $12.5 million average annual value of the deal would be tied for the second-highest ever signed by a reliever.
Mariano Rivera's $15 million a year, in each of his last two contracts, ranks No. 1.
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