Papelbon defends Mariano Rivera while in Japan, shows more honesty than MLB.com & Goose Gossage

(The Boston Herald): "But it is the Yankees’ Mariano Rivera who Papelbon views as the standard bearer. Rivera inked a record deal for closers this past offseason, in which he will make $15 a year for the next three years....

• “Now that Rivera has set the tone, my goal is to go out there and bring it to the next level and keep the market going,” Papelbon explained. “The past five or six years the closers’ market was so stagnant, it didn’t move at all. It’s up to us as closers to keep that market rising, rising, and rising and not have it be stagnant for another five or six years.”

*Papelbon dismisses the notion that Rivera’s deal was somewhat of an aberration, just a product of the richest team in baseball showing loyalty to one of the lynch-pins in its success.*

• Instead, the Sox closer points to the recent contract for Rodriguez and the impending deal Nathan has coming. In Papelbon’s mind, the position has become somewhat of a brotherhood which has to stay together in order to get paid together.

“I think Mariano set the tone for the next few years by tapping out at $15 million a year. He set the tone - what it means to be a closer, how important closers are, and what they mean to a team,” he said.

• “He started the whole realization how important closers are. Hopefully guys follow in those footsteps and keep that market where it is and not deviate off of that.""

From Boston Herald by Rob Bradford, 3/24/08, "Papelbon Eyes Big Money for Closers"

Tweet Stumbleupon StumbleUpon