Jonathan Papelbon: Released by Nationals

Papelbon was officially released by the Nationals on Saturday, the Washington Post's Chelsea Janes reports.

Papelbon is presumably upset that the team found a better option for the ninth inning in Mark Melancon and requested his release. The 35-year-old reliever posted a career-high 4.37 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP while striking out batters at a career-low 20.4-percent clip prior to his release. Factor in his bad attitude and apparent belief that he is still good enough to be a closer on a contending team, and it's hard to envision him generating much interest on the free agent market.