Sox Visit Pap and Phillies

Jonathan Papelbon got his big payday in Philadelphia with a 4-year, $50 million deal. While Pap is not a rocket scientist, as evidenced with his Cinco Ocho alter ego & several interview comments, he is a very dependable closer. Barring injury, the Phillies should get their money's worth out of Pap during his 4 years in the City of Brotherly Love & of Rocky Balboa fame. Like the football Eagles, the Phillies pay top dollar to get 30-somethings onto their rosters. Look at Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Asante Samuel, etc. Sometimes it works out, sometimes not. The Phillies won 1 World Series in the recent past, but have had a hard time repeating. Same could be said of the Red Sox since 2007 & their payroll expenses. Carl Crawford, John Lackey & Josh Beckett have not exactly turned out the way they were expected to. Phillies are similar to the Red Sox in that they need their big money guys to perform if they are to get to the playoffs. Both teams are cellar-dwellers right now, but most people think both will contend for a playoff spot by September. Time will tell.