Harper, Papelbon 'fine together' following phone call

Washington Nationals slugger Bryce Harper continues to try and mend the relationship between himself and closer Jonathan Papelbon.

Harper reached out to Papelbon recently to assure that they've reconciled their differences following a heated dugout exchange during the final week of the regular season.

"Papelbon and Harper are fine together," one Nationals staffer told Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post. "Harp just wants to win. All he cares about is that we have a 45-save relief pitcher who's going to help us."

(Courtesy: MLB.com)

Immediately following the incident, Papelbon, who was handed a four-game suspension, took responsibility and admitted wrongdoing, while both compared it to brothers fighting.

Coming off a disappointing 83-79 season, the Nationals' clubhouse is likely going to have a different feel heading into the 2016 season as Dusty Baker takes over the managerial duties from Matt Williams.