Storyline: On paper, at least, the Nats made the move they needed to make in acquiring Mark Melancon. Washington is now stronger than the Cubs.
Wow! What a trade!
Courtesy: bucsdugout.com
On Saturday the Washington Nationals acquired closer Mark Melancon from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for Felipe Rivero and prospect Taylor Hearn. The move makes the Nats the favorite to win the National League and go to the World Series.
I think the NL is ultimately going to come down to a two-team race between the Nationals and the Chicago Cubs. And even though the Cubs acquired star closer Aroldis Chapman this week, Washington is a tad bit better overall.
The addition of Melancon makes the Nationals bullpen more powerful. I would expect to see a guy like Shawn Kelly come in as the 7th inning guy and, then, have Jonathan Papelbon (a former closer and World Series champion) be the 8th inning guy. Melancon will close things out in the 9th.
This type of back-end strategy worked for the Kansas City Royals and I expect it will work tor the Nats, too. If so, then the Cubs can’t match it. Why? Chicago just got a true closer in Chapman, but the Nats just got themselves a second closer.
Yusmeiro Petit (photo, Getty Images)
The Nationals also excel in long relief with Yusmeiro Petit. Petit went 6 innings for the Giants in a 2014 NLDS win against the Nats. I expect him to be able to do the same thing for Dusty Baker and the Nats.
The Nats also have young starters, Joe Ross and Lucas Gilito. Washington can put them on the postseason roster to bridge the gap between powerful starters, Strasburg and Scherzer, and those power arms at the back of the bullpen.
Bottom Line: These teams were even just a few weeks ago. No longer. On paper, at least, the Nats made the move they needed to make in acquiring Melancon.
Will it work out? We’ll just have to see. But one thing’s for sure: the race for the NL championship just got a whole lot more interesting!
