2012 MLB Free Agents: Jonathan Papelbon Won't Bring Pennant to Phillies

So far in the brief MLB offseason, the Philadelphia Phillies have already made one big-name addition in Jim Thome. Now, they appear to be on the verge of making an even bigger splash in the bullpen.

According to CSN Philadelphia (via Twitter), the Phillies have reached an agreement with free-agent Boston closer Jonathan Papelbon. The last remaining hurdle is reportedly Papelbon’s physical, but there’s no reason to expect that to be a concern for a pitcher who’s made 60-plus appearances in four straight seasons.

Papelbon is a superior closer who would be a welcome addition to pretty much any team in the league. That said, however, his imminent arrival shouldn’t be cause for too much celebration in Philadelphia.

As good as Papelbon has been over the last several years, he’s still not a prohibitive improvement over incumbent closer Ryan Madson (who presumably won’t be re-signed if Papelbon arrives). Papelbon saved 31 games with a stellar 0.933 WHIP, while Madson notched 32 saves and a 1.154 WHIP.

Even more importantly, the back end of the bullpen had almost nothing to do with Philadelphia’s ignominious playoff exit. All three Phillies' losses in the NLDS were taken by the starters, with St. Louis scoring zero runs in the eighth or ninth innings of those games.

The Phillies’ biggest concern next season, especially with Ryan Howard on the shelf for the first couple of months, will be finding enough runs to win games. Closing out the ones they are winning, though helpful, is a secondary issue.

Papelbon’s arrival will make plenty of headlines and give Phillies' fans something to look forward to in 2012. On the field, though, it just isn’t going to make much difference in the team’s performance.