Trade: [PIT/WSH] Mark Melancon to Nationals for Felipe Rivero and prospect Taylor Hearn

[hockeykicker]

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[Gootie]

[WSH/PIT] Melancon to Nationals

 

[hockeykicker]

 

[hockeykicker]

 

[Marc the Habs Fan]

Prospect going to PIT as well says Ken. It should be a solid one you would think.

Heyman says it's Hearns. I can't find any info on whoever that may be, he is not on their top prospect list.

Maybe he meant Taylor Hearn: http://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.cgi?id=hearn-000tay

Morosi confirms:



Seems underwhelming for PIT if you ask me. 27th on their MLB.com list.

 

[hockeykicker]

do this trade everyday and twice on sundays

 

[John Price]

RT @BiertempfelTrib Sources: #Pirates sending Melancon to #Nationals for Rivero and multiple prospects. Erick Fedde might be one of them

 

[Big McLargehuge]

Waiting on the final return before I react.

 

[Marc the Habs Fan]

Pretty sure if Fedde was in the deal, the insiders would know.

 

[hockeykicker]

so its done

 

[John Price]

RT @BiertempfelTrib #Pirates also getting Low-A RHP Taylor Hearn in Melancon swap. He was 5th-rd pick last year. It now seems Fedde is not part of deal.

 

[Marc the Habs Fan]

Honestly, the Pirates should have just kept him and offered the QO (Melancon most likely turns it down). I'd rather have a comp pick than this.

Some NL hitter chimes in. Is this guy aiming to be a scout?

 

[hockeykicker]

Honestly, the Pirates should have just kept him and offered the QO (Melancon most likely turns it down). I'd rather have a comp pick than this.

Some NL hitter chimes in.

what? did they just text a random player and say what you think?

 

[GIN ANTONIC]

Wow. Really wish the Jays had gotten on this. What a weak return.

 

[Big McLargehuge]

If it's just those two for him...mehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Rivero looks like he could be a stud out of the pen and continue the trend of Pirates trading current closers for future closers (Melancon was acquired in the Hanrahan deal), but as a lefty he may be more likely to replace Watson as the 8th inning guy in the future. 7th inning this year.

Hearn seems like a rather lowly rated prospect to be the main return...but the last time I complained that the Pirates seemed to be taking random prospects back both of the guys they got for Travis Snider blew up after the trade (Brault & Tarpley), so...meh.

Honestly, the Pirates should have just kept him and offered the QO (Melancon most likely turns it down). I'd rather have a comp pick than this.

In no world does Mark Melancon turn down a $16.7 million qualifying offer. Even if it was a 50/50 chance it's not something a team like the Pirates can afford to risk. The fact they planned on having Melancon all year at nearly $10 million a year was pretty shocking in itself. Huntington does not believe in spending big money in the bullpen with how volatile the pen can be.

 

[Marc the Habs Fan]

what? did they just text a random player and say what you think?

My guess is he asked a player at the game Ken is covering today.

 

[John Price]

If it's just those two for him...mehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Rivero looks like he could be a stud out of the pen and continue the trend of Pirates trading current closers for future closers (Melancon was acquired in the Hanrahan deal), but as a lefty he may be more likely to replace Watson as the 8th inning guy in the future. 7th inning this year.

Hearn seems like a rather lowly rated prospect to be the main return...but the last time I complained that the Pirates seemed to be taking random prospects back both of the guys they got for Travis Snider blew up after the trade (Brault & Tarpley), so...meh.



In no world does Mark Melancon turn down a $16.7 million qualifying offer. Even if it was a 50/50 chance it's not something a team like the Pirates can afford to risk. The fact they planned on having Melancon all year at nearly $10 million a year was pretty shocking in itself. Huntington does not believe in spending big money in the bullpen with how volatile the pen can be.

RT @Ken_Rosenthal NL hitter: “2 mos. of Melancon for five yrs of Rivero? What a deal for Pirates. Rivero has all stuff you need.†Rivera, Hearn both hit 100.

 

[Marc the Habs Fan]

In no world does Mark Melancon turn down a $16.7 million qualifying offer. Even if it was a 50/50 chance it's not something a team like the Pirates can afford to risk. The fact they planned on having Melancon all year at nearly $10 million a year was pretty shocking in itself. Huntington does not believe in spending big money in the bullpen with how volatile the pen can be.

I view it as unlikely he'd accept that QO.

He should easily get 3-4 years as a FA and probably at least 10 M per assuming he ends the year healthy and without a hiccup. Although having to give up a pick could deter a team from signing him.

 

[BMOK33]

This just seems like a bizarre move by Pittsburgh. Are they certain they can't resign Melancon? They are only 2-3 games out of the wildcard and it feels like they just gave up to a small extent

 

[Marc the Habs Fan]

this just seems like a bizarre move by pittsburgh. Are they certain they can't resign melancon? They are only 2-3 games out of the wildcard and it feels like they just gave up to a small extent

 

[Big McLargehuge]

I view it as unlikely he'd accept that QO.

He should easily get 3-4 years as a FA and probably at least 10 M per assuming he ends the year healthy and without a hiccup. Although having to give up a pick could deter a team from signing him.

That's not the vibe I've gotten from Pirates writers, who to a man were convinced that Melancon would accept a qualifying offer. He wanted to stay in Pittsburgh, but he wasn't going to take a discount to do so...this is also why the Pirates had to move on from Walker.

This just seems like a bizarre move by Pittsburgh. Are they certain they can't resign Melancon? They are only 2-3 games out of the wildcard and it feels like they just gave up to a small extent

The Bucs aren't going to open the wallet for a 30+ reliever, period. It's not something the owner would be okay with, and more importantly it's not something the GM believes in.


I'm not familiar enough with Rivero to say that I'm thrilled or upset, but I was hoping to get a better prospect for sure. Regardless I'm happy to get a good young pen arm with 5 years of control for a guy we were going to lose for nothing in a few months. I was expecting a better prospect, but I was also expecting a much lesser reliever. I was expecting a stop-gap guy who could pitch the 7th for the rest of the year, rather than a guy who seems like he's ready to be a set-up man today and could stay in that role/move to closer for years to come.

edit: The Bucs clearly have been high on Hearn for a while...they drafted him in 2012.

 

[td_ice]

This just seems like a bizarre move by Pittsburgh. Are they certain they can't resign Melancon? They are only 2-3 games out of the wildcard and it feels like they just gave up to a small extent

Pretty much what Big said. They weren't going to sign Melancon and wanted to get something for him.

And I think they have full confidence, (me too) that Tony Watson can easily slide into the closer role.

 

[Cassano]

Should've caved in for Miller imo

 

[Big McLargehuge]

Should've caved in for Miller imo

Given what they paid for Melancon, given what New York was asking for Miller...Washington made the right move.

Melancon has been dominant ever since going to the Pirates, a 4 years/260.1 inning sample size...and he's far more proven as a closer. Miller is better, but not so much better to compensate for the gulf in trade value.

 

[hockeykicker]

baseball is a strange game sometimes. last year nats thought rivero was the young left of future after his great year. this year solis has been way better making rivero expendable