Mark Melancon spent the second half of the 2016 season with the Washington Nationals, but the 31-year-old closer is moving on from the reigning National League East champions after reportedly signing with the San Francisco Giants on Monday.
According to Buster Olney of ESPN, Melancon agreed to a deal with the Giants and is in the process of going through a physical with the club. Joel Sherman of the New York Post confirmed Olney's report, adding that he heard the agreement is in the range of four years and $62 million.
A three-time All-Star, Melancon was traded from the Pittsburgh Pirates to the Nationals on July 30 to help fortify the closer's role in the nation's capital.
After he recorded 30 saves, 1.51 ERA and 0.960 WHIP during the first half of the season with the Pirates, Melancon proceeded to hold down the fort with the Nationals to an encouraging degree.
All told, Melancon notched 17 saves for Washington while finishing 28 games and appearing in 30 total. By the time his initial half-season stint in D.C. came to a close, Melancon had notched a 1.82 ERA and 0.809 WHIP.
He also rounded out the year by finishing a National League-best 67 games thanks to a three-pitch arsenal comprised of a fastball, wicked cutter and curveball, according to FanGraphs.
Speaking to reporters in August, Melancon credited his time with the New York Yankees and famed closer Mariano Rivera for the development of his cutter.
"I was in the pen with Mariano [Rivera]," Melancon said, per Federal Baseball's Patrick Reddington. "I got to watch that a lot from him and just sit behind the plate, sit behind him pitching, and not only did I notice how important the cutter and the movement and when to throw it in, backdoor it and all that stuff, but just his location and how important that was."
Based on the way Melancon performed a season after he tallied an NL-best 51 saves, targeting him in free agency was a no-brainer for the Giants since they ranked 15th in bullpen ERA (3.65) among all MLB teams in 2016.
Bringing Melancon aboard also gives the Giants some peace of mind at the back end of their bullpen.
San Francisco blew an NL-high 30 saves last season, and that number contributed to a fairly woeful 58.90 save percentage. Only the Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies and Cincinnati Reds recorded lower save percentages last seven.
However, that number figures to decrease quite a bit if Melancon can replicate the success he's experienced over the past couple of seasons once he arrives in the Bay Area.
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