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MLB Trade Rumors: Washington Nationals want Mark Melancon back

By Jake Goldstein-Street

Apr 24, 2017; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Mark Melancon (41) reacts after defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers at AT&T Park. The Giants won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 24, 2017; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Mark Melancon (41) reacts after defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers at AT&T Park. The Giants won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports /
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After losing him to the San Francisco Giants in free agency, the Washington Nationals desire a reunion with closer Mark Melancon.

According to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports, the Nationals have “spoken internally about” adding reliever Mark Melancon with the struggles they’ve been facing this season.

Blake Treinen had an 8.10 ERA through four outings as the Nationals closer in April. Overall, he has allowed 15 earned runs in 18 1/3 innings, which is more than that of Gio Gonzalez in 51 innings of work.

Manager Dusty Baker experimented with other players, but none were viable options for a permanent spot as closer. No closer has more than three saves this season.

Before Thursday’s action, the Nationals ranked 27th in bullpen ERA (5.31) in Major League Baseball. The team has all of the pieces necessary for a playoff run, but their bullpen has dragged them down, thus far. However, the Nationals still lead the weak NL East by 7.5 games

These troubles in relief have brought the Nationals back to Mark Melancon. In 30 appearances last season with Washington, he saved 17 games and had a 1.82 ERA. He came to Washington following a midseason trade from Pittsburgh.

During the offseason, the San Francisco Giants inked the closer to a four-year, $62 million deal. Melancon had a 2.53 ERA through 10 2/3 innings before landing on the disabled list in early May. He is set to come off the DL on Friday, according to manager Bruce Bochy.

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Melancon is just one player the Nationals have looked at acquiring before the July 31 trade deadline. Heyman reported that Washington is interested in Kansas City’s Kelvin Herrera and Toronto’s Roberto Osuna among others.

He is an obvious choice for the NL East leaders because of his history with the team. Often the bullpen makes the difference in playoff series. Melancon could be a key factor in the team securing their first National League pennant.

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