The Red Sox have acquired bullpen help, but at the cost of two players. Mark Melancon is headed to Beantown to help sure up a bullpen that may see Daniel Bard depart as a move to the rotation. The move sends utility man Jed Lowrie to Houston along with young pitcher Kyle Weiland.
My initial reaction was not a positive one from the perspective of the Sox. I’m not really a Lowire guy (injuries and too high of a fly-ball rate for his skill-set), but I thought that his perceived value was higher. However, the more I think about Melancon, the more I like him, maybe not as a lock-down closer type, but as a valuable asset to any bullpen. He does a great job of keeping the ball on the ground (about 57 percent ground-ball rate) and his curve is a definite out pitch that he works off of his four-seamer and cutter. While his peripherals weren’t great, he does have the stuff to improve on his strikeout rate a bit.
The other player involved however, is Kyle Weiland, which could end up favoring the deal for the Astros in a big way if he develops his secondary pitches and improves his command. Weiland was horrible for the Sox in September, but he really was put in an unfair position due to injuries to the Sox rotation. Weiland still has a chance to develop into a back-end starter, but I see him more as a 7th inning reliever. Even if Weiland only becomes a reliever capable of 7th inning duty, he’ll come close to straight-up replacing Melancon’s value.
In a bubble, the Sox address an immediate need by giving up a player with potential, but little to show in terms of production at the big-league level, as well as a pitcher with some upside, but a ton of things to improve upon before he reaches that potential.
What are your thoughts on the trade?