1. You have chosen to ignore posts from Thesemenarecowards. Show Thesemenarecowards's posts

    Re: Red Sox trade for Mark Melancon

    posted at 12/14/2011 12:46 PM EST

    Melancon closed games for Houston last year but does that necessarily mean he is now the Sox closer?  25 career save opportunities is a pretty small body of work, perhaps another move is coming and Melancon will find himself in more of a set-up role?

    Looking through his game logs it is great to see the number of times he pitched 2+ innings and he clearly has the stuff to miss plenty of bats but the number of blown saves is a little concerning. 
     

  2. You have chosen to ignore posts from moonslav59. Show moonslav59's posts

    Re: Red Sox trade for Mark Melancon

    posted at 12/14/2011 12:48 PM EST

    In Response to Re: Red Sox trade for Mark Melancon:
    In Response to Re: Red Sox trade for Mark Melancon : Mark Melancon remains under his team's control for another five seasons while Jed Lowrie remains under his team's control for three more expensive arbitration seasons. Melancon should earn near the league minimum next season before becoming arbitration-eligible as a Super Two the following offseason. Lowrie was projected to earn $1.2 million next year in his first arbitration season.
    Posted by hill55


    We should save close to $800K on this deal in 2012, and maybe more in 2013 if Lowrie would have perfromed well for us in 2012.
     

  3. You have chosen to ignore posts from beavis. Show beavis's posts

    Re: Red Sox trade for Mark Melancon

    posted at 12/14/2011 12:49 PM EST

    Moon. Looks like he has been groomed to close and close only.
     

  4. You have chosen to ignore posts from hill55. Show hill55's posts

    Re: Red Sox trade for Mark Melancon

    posted at 12/14/2011 12:53 PM EST

    In Response to Re: Red Sox trade for Mark Melancon:
    Melancon closed games for Houston last year but does that necessarily mean he is now the Sox closer?  25 career save opportunities is a pretty small body of work, perhaps another move is coming and Melancon will find himself in more of a set-up role? Looking through his game logs it is great to see the number of times he pitched 2+ innings and he clearly has the stuff to miss plenty of bats but the number of blown saves is a little concerning. 
    Posted by Thesemenarecowards

    It's not all that important whether Mark Melancon will be the closer.

    Melancon provides needed bullpen help and could give the Red Sox more options for Daniel Bard and Alfredo Alceves.
     

  5. You have chosen to ignore posts from KyleCleric2. Show KyleCleric2's posts

    Re: Red Sox trade for Mark Melancon

    posted at 12/14/2011 12:54 PM EST

    I don't think he'll be the closer. This is more for a 7th or 8th inning arm. But that's still a good trade to get a player who is young, has already had some success as a closer, and under contract for cheap for 5 years. One of Lowrie, Aviles, and Scutaro had to go before the season and while I was a fan of Weiland, he did struggle. This should be a great opportunity for both Weiland and Lowrie to have success, which is great. I had doubt of them being able to succeed in Boston. As for Melancon, we shall see, but the basic concept behind the deal makes a ton of sense.
     

  6. You have chosen to ignore posts from sday4x4. Show sday4x4's posts

    Re: Red Sox trade for Mark Melancon

    posted at 12/14/2011 12:57 PM EST

    I was looking at a blog for 2007. Back then he was forcasted as having a high ceiling and was considered a in-house candidate at THAT TIME to take over for Mariano. Interesting.  He has had TJ surgery in past I believe though.
     

  7. You have chosen to ignore posts from No1NosMe. Show No1NosMe's posts

    Re: Red Sox trade for Mark Melancon

    posted at 12/14/2011 12:58 PM EST

    The real good news is that it lessens the leaverage anyone would have in trying to swap (read Oakland) or sign (read Borras) a closer to the sox. They have plan A (Melancon) and plan B (Bard). Now they can concentrate on 4-5 pitchers and rounding out the bullpen.
     

  8. You have chosen to ignore posts from 111SoxFan111. Show 111SoxFan111's posts

    Re: Red Sox trade for Mark Melancon

    posted at 12/14/2011 1:00 PM EST

    I like it.  We get promising pitcher with years of team control in exchange for a marginal pitching prospect + a UIF who's ship has sailed.  Great move considering the limited downside if Melancon pans out to be less than anticipated since we didn't give up all that much.  Of course, Lowrie will probably have a great year now ...

    Hopefully, we are only one rookie break through from having a decent pen now ... go Tazawa!!!  On a tangent, anyone wanna bet on who pitches more innings for the Sox in '12 ... Dice or Doubront?
     

  9. You have chosen to ignore posts from GoUconn13. Show GoUconn13's posts

    Re: Red Sox trade for Mark Melancon

    posted at 12/14/2011 1:10 PM EST

    I just looked at his stats...he started off slow which that is because he was a very young kid as a Yankees pitcher.  But as he got older and starting to pitched more innings as a bullpen pitcher to a closer, he pitched pretty well.  He had 20 saves for a very bad Houston Astros team last year!!

    I think it is a good trade.  Reason is that, each team didnt have to increase or decrease payroll.

    Some of the posters above are right that Lowrie will never stay healthy as well may not be ever be a good defense SS.  Aviles is better defense player than Lowrie.  

    Now I see the pitching staffs just added a pitcher which that is a good news!
     

  10. You have chosen to ignore posts from beavis. Show beavis's posts

    Re: Red Sox trade for Mark Melancon

    posted at 12/14/2011 1:20 PM EST

    I may draft Lowry in rotisserie late rounds. Nothing more than that. Jed will have career highs in many categories if he stays healthy. He will be a future GM some day...

     

  11. You have chosen to ignore posts from Thesemenarecowards. Show Thesemenarecowards's posts

    Re: Red Sox trade for Mark Melancon

    posted at 12/14/2011 1:22 PM EST

    In Response to Re: Red Sox trade for Mark Melancon:
    In Response to Re: Red Sox trade for Mark Melancon : It's not all that important whether Mark Melancon will be the closer. Melancon provides needed bullpen help and could give the Red Sox more options for Daniel Bard and Alfredo Alceves.
    Posted by hill55


    It is sort of important to know who the closer is going to be, unless they are going 'Closer by Comittee 2.0'. 

    I like the trade but I hope this is a BP depth move and that the Sox are not all in on Melancon to close games in 2012.
     

  12. This post has been removed.

     

  13. You have chosen to ignore posts from hankwilliams. Show hankwilliams's posts

    Re: Red Sox trade for Mark Melancon

    posted at 12/14/2011 1:26 PM EST

    As for Ells I disagree. If he continues to stay the same course as one of the best young players in the game to replace him with a player of equal quality is going to cost the same dollars. Ells is a keeper long term.

    False, see Ellsbury and Crawford splits. Paying nearly 20 million over next 2 years will net a better split and overall fit than Ellsbury. Crawford is here to stay and the Red Sox need a complimentary young Rh OF bat short and long term.  
     

  14. You have chosen to ignore posts from MVP1686. Show MVP1686's posts

    Re: Red Sox trade for Mark Melancon

    posted at 12/14/2011 1:26 PM EST

    In my personal opinion, I think that it would be a great move if they try to trade also for bailey from okland to be our next closer, but M Melancon would be a disaster move if he is our next closer because you move Bard to the rotation and then you lose one big arm in the pen and you only brign Mark Melancon who only have had one good year in the majors. "I don't like it."

    The only thing I like is that he is cheap and we could now deal for bailey and stay away from madson and use that money for the right field either cuddyier or beltran.

    In Response to Re: Red Sox trade for Mark Melancon:
    The real good news is that it lessens the leaverage anyone would have in trying to swap (read Oakland) or sign (read Borras) a closer to the sox. They have plan A (Melancon) and plan B (Bard). Now they can concentrate on 4-5 pitchers and rounding out the bullpen.
    Posted by No1NosMe

     

  15. You have chosen to ignore posts from GoUconn13. Show GoUconn13's posts

    Re: Red Sox trade for Mark Melancon

    posted at 12/14/2011 1:32 PM EST

    How can you say that Melancon only have one good year in the major league after you wanted Madson who also only had one good year too.  Madson pitched for a very good Phillies team at the same time Melancon pitched for a very bad team.

    I just do not think Melcancon or Madson are much different per reading their stats.

    Only Bailey is a better pitcher than these two pitchers above!!

    That is why I like the trade where it saved Boston million of dollars.

    Forget Madson.  His asking price is still going to be ridiculous high!!  Either Boston can get Bailey without giving up any of their own top 15 prospects, then that would be nice.  If Oakland demanded one or two from the top 15 prospects, then forget it!!
     

  16. You have chosen to ignore posts from moonslav59. Show moonslav59's posts

    Re: Red Sox trade for Mark Melancon

    posted at 12/14/2011 1:32 PM EST

    Lowrie wasn't even going to be on our 25 man roster... neither was Weiland, unless there were injuries.

    We got a very good relief pitcher and lost no ground elsewhere. No need to complain. Yeah, it would be nice if we get more arms, but no matter where we use Melancon, he will be helping. Set-up is probably best for 2012, but we may not have much of a choice but to use him as a closer if Bard and Aceves start.
     

  17. You have chosen to ignore posts from rgmfick. Show rgmfick's posts

    Re: Red Sox trade for Mark Melancon

    posted at 12/14/2011 1:32 PM EST

    Mark Melancon is not a big big name.  Does not mean he's not a quality pitcher, he was traded for a big name Lance Berkman who was more than incidental to the MFYs in 2010 and is under Contract control.  The Red Sox do a lot of scouting of other teams and it seems certain that Ben and the FO have a plan.  They are not going to acquire or sign whom we, fans think the should and certainly are not going to overpay for someone like Andrew Bailey as Ben is very familiar with how he and Theo have dealt with Billy Beane.  Could be a big critical pickup to the Red Sox, particularly cause it frees up Daniel Bard and Alfredo Aceves to be given an opportunity to both be starters and if necessary, go back to the pen.  I hope Jed Lowrie flourishes in the NL and it may help Jed to play for Brad Mills.  
     

  18. You have chosen to ignore posts from rkarp. Show rkarp's posts

    Re: Red Sox trade for Mark Melancon

    posted at 12/14/2011 1:35 PM EST

    I like the inventory for the pen. Agree, closer spopt isnt handed over to him, but he should be in the mix.
    I dont love Aviles as the back up SS. Can Scut stay healthy for 140-145 games? Will Iglesias be rushed?
    This roster 1-18 is 100 wins...settling 19-25 will be the difference between 90 and 100 wins.
     

  19. You have chosen to ignore posts from 111SoxFan111. Show 111SoxFan111's posts

    Re: Red Sox trade for Mark Melancon

    posted at 12/14/2011 1:38 PM EST

    In Response to Re: Red Sox trade for Mark Melancon:
    In Response to Re: Red Sox trade for Mark Melancon : It is sort of important to know who the closer is going to be, unless they are going 'Closer by Comittee 2.0'.  I like the trade but I hope this is a BP depth move and that the Sox are not all in on Melancon to close games in 2012.
    Posted by Thesemenarecowards

    I'll be the contrarian and say it doesn't matter that much.  I think you need three very solid pitchers to be the core of any good bullpen.  Assuming either Bard or Aceves is still in the pen we have 2 of the 3 key pitchers.  So we are close IMO ... regardless of how they configure the roles.

    And for my money, I'd rather have 3 "stoppers" who can pitch 1-2 innings every 4 days (whichever innings are most needed), instead of a designated 9th inning guy and a designated 8th inning guy ... but stats driven management has always made me nutty.
     

  20. You have chosen to ignore posts from moonslav59. Show moonslav59's posts

    Re: Red Sox trade for Mark Melancon

    posted at 12/14/2011 1:40 PM EST

    I dont love Aviles as the back up SS...

    He's better than Lowrie, and we have Iggy waiting in the wings.
     

  21. You have chosen to ignore posts from ctredsoxfanhugh. Show ctredsoxfanhugh's posts

    Re: Red Sox trade for Mark Melancon

    posted at 12/14/2011 1:42 PM EST

    This is a great trade for the Sox.  Lowrie has never fulfilled his potential, is injury prone and would likely never be more than a utility player here (and many other teams)  Weiland is c level prospect who projects to move to the bullpen to make it to the MLB level.

    Mark Melancon, is young, under team control and still has the potential to improve.  Has a good fastball/changeup/slider/curveball combo...fastball is at 93, but I've seen it top out at 95/96.  and he had a GB% of 56.7% last year...which should make him a good fit for Fenway. 
     

  22. You have chosen to ignore posts from stodknocker. Show stodknocker's posts

    Re: Red Sox trade for Mark Melancon

    posted at 12/14/2011 1:50 PM EST

    I can't see why anyone would think this is a bad trade. We got a good, young, cheap, and team controlled arm for a utility guy (something we have a plethora of) and a younger arm with a short ceiling (IMO.) Kudos to Ben, let's keep it going!
     

  23. You have chosen to ignore posts from S5. Show S5's posts

    Re: Red Sox trade for Mark Melancon

    posted at 12/14/2011 1:51 PM EST

    This seems like such a good deal on the surface that I went to a Houston newspaper to see what they had to say about it.

    "The Astros found their upgrade at shortstop as they are set to acquire switch-hitting Jed Lowrie from the Boston Red Sox along with pitcher Kyle Weiland in exchange for closer Mark Melancon according to a person with knowledge of the deal.

    Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow had no comment and neither team has announced the deal as official.

    Lowrie, 27, has played sparingly for Boston over the last four seasons, hitting a combined .252 with a .324 on-base percentage and a .408 slugging percentage. He is considerably more proficient as a righthanded hitter, with a .919 career on-base plus slugging compared to a .635 as a lefty.

    Much of the time he missed came in 2010, when he was out four months in a prolonged fight against mononucleosis.  He was made expendable in the Red Sox system with the presence of Marco Scutaro and the readiness of Jose Iglesias as a better defensive option.

    Weiland, 25, made his major league debut in 2011, amassing a 7.66 ERA in 24 2/3 innings. The 2008 third-round pick had a 3.51 ERA in the minor leagues with 3.4 walks and 8.5 strikeouts per 9 innings.

    In giving up Melancon, the Astros flipped arguably their top relief pitcher whom they acquired in the Lance Berkman trade with the Yankees. The righthander ably took over the closer’s job from an injured Brandon Lyon last year and for the season had a 2.78 ERA."


    I guess... if they're happy with it I sure am!  But I still don't undestand why they would move their top closer for an unproven ss and a pitcher with a 7.66 ERA.  But there's a lot about these trades that mystify me.

     

  24. This post has been removed.

     

  25. You have chosen to ignore posts from fishers5. Show fishers5's posts

    Re: Red Sox trade for Mark Melancon

    posted at 12/14/2011 1:55 PM EST

    maybe its payback for giving them bagwell....lol