Jonathan Papelbon may be long gone from the Phillies clubhouse, but that doesn't mean he's done trolling the team.
Chelsea Janes, Nationals beat writer for The Washington Post, tweeted out this quote from the closer Monday afternoon.
Papelbon was traded to Philadelphia's NL East rival down in D.C. in July as apart of the team's fire sale of veteran talent.
When it comes to the man who dealt him, who was given the boot by the team's new top executive, Papelbon was just as cold.
According to Ryan Lawrence of the Daily News, the pitcher refused to name specific players. However he did clarify the comments a bit more:
I’m saying as a team. If you don’t have a team atmosphere that’s put together that coincides with winning, you know.
He went on to say that the constant shuffling of the roster and lack of leadership hurt the Phillies, and said his attempts to try and be a leader himself were futile.
Papelbon's comments should come as no surprise, as he was more than willing to speak his mind during his tenure in Philadelphia, no matter how fans perceived him, including saying he didn't feel like a Phillie and essentially demanding the team trade him.
His desire to join a contender seemed to have been realized when he was first traded, but may now be an unrealized dream, at least for this season.
The Nationals, generally regarded as favorites in the division this year, have fallen behind the upstart Mets, sitting 9.5 games behind New York as of Monday.
Papelbon expressed disappointment about the current standings, but said he still enjoys having the chance to win.