It was at the 2015 MLB All-Star Game in Cincinnati that closer Jonathan Papelbon urged the Philadelphia Phillies to “bleep or get off the pot” about trading him. Papelbon is being paid handsomely to close games for the Phillies, but seems to have forgotten that he’s not being paid to talk. Frankly, no one cares about what he has to say.

That’s because no other team is willing to give the Phillies salary relief from the bloated contract GM Ruben Amaro Jr. gave Papelbon after the 2011 season. The Phillies were coming off a 102-win season, and Papelbon got a four-year, $50-million contract. That is the primary reason no one wants him now.

If they did, the Phillies would have certainly traded him by now. Papelbon is right to want to be on a contender, but is in no position to demand a trade because of that contract.

The Phillies would have to take on a significant portion of that deal to even come away with a mid-level prospect, and they are perfectly entitled to decline that choice if they find it to be unpalatable — and they do. Apparently, that leaves Papelbon crying like a baby to the media, and it’s about time he grew up. If the Phillies do not trade him, they should remind him to play ball or he can walk away from team, especially on payday.

Mike Gibson is a MLB Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @papreps , “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.