Jed Lowrie, Kyle Weiland Traded for Mark Melancon

but we didn’t give up prospects for Weiland.

Craig Kimbrel made $400K and was worth 3.2 WAR.

Rivera is good, but grossly inefficient. I would rather have Melancon as closer than Rivera, I can then spend the other $14.6 million dollars to sign a second tier pitcher and get even more value out of my money.

Weiland has potential to become Melancon, but it doesn’t mean he IS Melancon, or even a major leaguer. Honestly, he’s really only had one really good year in the minors

So I assume the Nationals will want to give that up as soon as possible.

… I feel like there wasn’t a big enough step up to Melancon to justify shipping Lowrie… we couldn’t do better?

If we really couldn’t do better, I’d have kept him and seen if he could stay healthy, mash against lefties again, play a little better SS and package him at the deadline next summer.

http://www.overthemonster.com/2011/12/5/2612418/what-we-might-know-about-daniel-bard-as-a-starter

… Mr. Cheerful.

but shouldn’t you be requeing that? :P

But was green by the time I got here, so I left it alone.

I was just thinking, as I made the “not a very good troll” reference above, that I haven’t seen you throwing your two cents in on the hot stove.

Hope all is well!

I still don’t see why Lowrie was needed to make this deal work, but I’m with you… if Melancon is the de facto closer until they decide about Bard starting, then I’ll ultimately be fine with this deal.

If they still go sign an actual closer, I won’t be.

Minor league #‘s were very, very good. He actually used to be my favorite prospect when he was coming up. He allegedly had that “bulldog mentality” and wasn’t afraid to go right after hitters. Has a good 2 seam as well as a hammer curve and a better than average changeup. Throw in his nasty over the top delivery and he is very deceptive. Didn’t get a chance to watch him pitch in Houston last year, but I imagine it’s still the same repertoire.

Unfortunately when he came up with the Yanks he was thrown right into the fire and failed. He was up in the zone, missing his spots etc. Throw in the confrontation with Boston in a blowout and he must have rubbed someone the wrong way. Then again, Cashman and company thought they were going to get the 2011 version of Berkman during the 2nd half of 2010 and make a legit run at the WS. Unfortunately he didn’t really turn the corner coming back from injury until he was a Cardinal.

I like Lowrie as a player, but I EXPECT him to play well in about 50-70 games in 2012 around one or more injuries. I can HOPE he stays healthy, but I can’t expect that from him based upon track record.

I EXPECT exactly 0 contribution from Weiland in 2012. I could HOPE he becomes rookie of the year, but hope does not equate to expectations.

I’m having a little trouble following the reference you’re responding to here…

Or did we have an actual prospect named Dennis Tankersley?

except the Darvish part as, at least reportedly, they haven’t bid on him. I would guess that if both are in the pen, Bard has at least earned the respect of the team to be given first shot at the closer job, with Melancon there to take it if he fails.

then I will dislike this move.

interesting.

just they’re not really trying to compete for a few more years

…for a few years now. Obviously, it didn’t take until now. Remember Ianetta? And the Rockies don’t even like Iannetta.

because he was doing great and helping the Sox win games

Plus there was that little thing where he came back pretty much at the trade deadline.

But I’d have said he’s better than Scutaro without thinking about it. That’s not what he was this year, which makes me think there was something wrong.

If he’s legitimately willing to make the move.

even with Bard supposedly going to SP then that’s a poor trade-off in my mind

The market isn’t great but the market paid Joe Nathan $7 million a year for the next two years. It is not easy to say that the market will be better for him next year as that is a big risk on his part. He’ll turn 32 during this season and even if there are potentially more closer spots open next year as it stands now, the closer market can change very very quickly.

Look at this year alone. How many pitchers just this year became viable closers? Storen, Kimbrel, Hanrahan, Walden (Blew a bunch of saves but still), Brandon League , Madson himself, Melancon did for a while, Javy Guerra did for a while, Farnsworth did really for the first time. Point being that a team that might look like they will have an opening, and might easily find someone this year. Or, they may have a Bard-type waiting in the wings.

If Madson got a two year deal at decent money with an vesting third year based on games pitched, I think he would take it. Sure he wants to get paid like a top closer.