What they're saying: Jonathan Papelbon, Nick Pivetta trade

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Jonathan Papelbon wanted the Phillies to trade him to a contender, and on Tuesday he got his wish as the 34-year-old closer was dealt to the Washington Nationals.

In exchange, the Phils acquired another young arm in right-hander Nick Pivetta. 

The 22-year old was 13-8 with a 4.22 ERA in 2014 at Single A. This season, he went went 7-4 with a 2.29 ERA in 15 games at High A before being promoted to Double A Harrisburg, where he went 0-2 with a 7.20 ERA before being dealt.

Here's what's being said about the deal:

Watch Storen
Mark Zuckerman of NatsInsider.com says the key player in this deal is neither Papelbon nor Pivetta. 

Instead, it's Nationals closer Drew Storen, who has been bumped into a setup role. 

Again.

This season, Storen has 29 saves in 31 opportunities, a 1.73 ERA and a 44 strikeouts while walking only nine, and he naturally didn't sound pleased with the trade. 

Remember, this isn't fantasy league. The addition of Papelbon will affect team chemistry.

"Shouldn’t everybody be doing cartwheels down South Capitol Street right now?" Zuckerman asks. "Perhaps some people are, but it sure seems like the vast majority are wholly upset by the trade Mike Rizzo consummated Tuesday afternoon with the Phillies. Why? Because of the names and reputations of the affected parties, which are impossible to ignore."

It's the second time in three years Storen has been removed from the closer's role. 

"And that’s what left so many people so uneasy Tuesday as details of this deal slowly trickled out before becoming official around nightfall," Zuckerman wrote. "They’re uncomfortable with Papelbon’s reputation (whether that’s warranted or not) and they’re uncomfortable with the idea of Storen losing his job yet again despite not having done anything to merit a demotion."

Storen lucky?
On the other hand, while Storen’s numbers are excellent — and even better than Papelbon's — it's possible the stats are somewhat misleading. Dayn Perry of CBS Sports writes that the Storen may have been somewhat lucky.

Storen hasn't yielded a run since June 24 and is on a scoreless run of 8⅓ innings, but Perry, citing the ZiPS projection system via FanGraphs, points out the closer has been fortunate to have so many fly balls stay in the park. He expects Papelbon to finish out the season strong but isn't so sure about Storen.

"Maybe he regresses on that front, and maybe he doesn't," Perry writes.

Pivetta looks promising
Baseball America ranked Pivetta as the Nationals 10th best prospect after the 2014 season.

Sounds good, doesn't it? 

According to Keith Law of ESPN.com, the Phillies made out well in this deal.

Law provides a detailed scouting report of Pivietta, whom he saw pitch in Single A Wilmington.

"He was throwing heat between 90-95 mph that was usually sitting between 92-94, without life but with very good deception. His curveball has good angle but he appeared to be babying the pitch slightly when I saw him, rather than finishing it hard for maximum rotation. He rotates his hips late, taking a short stride with a stiff landing that costs him some arm speed, a suboptimal delivery for a starter," Law wrote.

"At worst, Pivetta is a very good two-pitch reliever with plus control, but he has the feel and stamina to work as a starting pitcher, and the Phillies should continue with him in that role, perhaps lengthening his stride just a little bit to see if the breaking ball improves."

Pennlive.com's Mike Reinhard's report concurs with Law's: 

"Evaluators like Pivetta's big, physical frame and project the 6-foot-5, 220 pound pitcher to be a Major League starter at the back-end of the rotation," Reinhard writes. "The Victoria, British Columbia native throws his two-seam fastball in the low-to-mid 90s, but has really worked this season on improving his curveball and changeup."

After Pivetta's last start, in which he pitched five innings, allowed two runs and struck out three while walking five, Double A Harrisburg Senators manager Brian Daubach said:

"I think it's just Nick trying to get his feet under him a little bit instead of trying to do too much. Where his misses in the other two games have been up, his misses tonight were very good either just down or just inside."

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