Chill: Pap Likely to Stay

Alright, alright, hold your horses. I know the reports are going crazy that Jonathan Papelbon has been waived by Boston and claimed by another AL team. Let me explain to you why, after doing some research, I am nearly certain that #58 will continue to dawn the red stockings for the rest of the season.

It is fairly common for Major League teams to place players on waivers shortly after the trading deadline. Here's why. If a player completely clears waivers, he is then eligible to be traded to any team. Overriding the effect of the trade deadline for those circumstances. If that player doesn't clear waivers and gets claimed by another team, it is not the end of the world. Say the Red Sox are the ones waiving the player. Once a team claims him, the Sox have the option to do a number of things. They can let him go to the claiming team if they wish. They can negotiate a waiver trade involving other waived players. Or, ultimately, they can just decide to pull him back. If they pull the player back, he is then untradeable for the rest of the season. Still, the bottom line is that this is a relatively common thing to do. They likely never had the intention of letting Papelbon go for free. But if he cleared waivers, they could have been given the opportunity to trade him. Keep in mind that there may be contract issues with Papelbon in the future with Boston, especially with Daniel Bard breathing down his neck for the closer's role.

So, everyone can relax for the time being. Most sources are now stepping back from the immediate hysteria caused by some news outlets and realizing that Pap is likely going nowhere. Of course, anything could still happen, but the Red Sox may not be making the rash decisions that some believed that they were making this afternoon.