Mastersball Fantasy Forum

Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the Red Sox have acquired right-hander Mark Melancon from the Astros for infielder Jed Lowrie and right-hander Kyle Weiland.

So new Boston GM Ben Cherington's makes his 1st big trade. Personally, I think I'd rather have the Houston side of this deal as I like Lowrie and think Weiland could emerge as a solid back-end starter. Boston needed to add something to their bullpen, since they lost Paps and are going to stretch Daniel Bard out in ST (with him potentially heading to the rotation).

Right now Melancon would be the front-runner to open the year as Boston's closer. I still think they are going to bite the bullet and sign Ryan Madson, making Melancon the set-up guy.

Lowrie will slide right into the Astros lineup as their new starting SS, so I am interested to see what kind of upside others see here. I think he could make an even better play as a CI with potential 20 hr/80 rbi upside.

Weiland could be worth a flier in NL only leagues, especially if the Stro's trade Wandy Rodriguez.

The last bit for us to chew on is who will be in the mix to close now in Houston? Brandon Lyon is in theory the top guy, but he is coming off serious arm surgery (detached biceps tendon/torn labrum), so lets just rule him out as a serious option to start the year. Wilton Lopez has had moments in the pen where he has looked like a closer-of-the-future, but he doesn't really have the control or "heat" that most teams look for in a closer.

David Carpenter (rhp) pitched really well out of the pen last year and has the mid 90's fastball that screams "closer". He should be given a chance to compete for the job in spring training and makes a decent speculative pick at this point, I think.

The real sleeper here would be Juan Abreu, who came over from Atlanta in the Michael Bourn deal. His throws harder than anyone the Astros have in the bullpen mix right now, but he has very iffy control. At 26, he is also a little old for a prospect and has been let go by two organizations (KC, ATL) within a year. Still, he'll be in the mix and is a name to keep an eye on in ST.

Part gut call, part based on some mumblings I have heard, but dealing Lawrie may be as much of a clubhouse thing as anything. That of course begs the question did they get enough back? Something to keep in mind is the Red Sox have a lot of former front office brass in other organizations (Padres, D-Backs, Cubbies). This can be a good thing with respect to comfort and familiarity, but sometimes not so good as well, if they know the scoop about some of the players.

I too think Houston got the better end of the deal. Have to wonder if Boston has soured on Bard as being their closer and if they viewed Lowrie's penchant for getting injured too much of a risk to carry on the roster. Scutaro, due to his age, is nothing more than a place holder till Iglesias is brought up for good. Boston management has commented on numerous occasions that money could be a problem as they near the luxury tax ceiling. I really don't see them going after Madson or Bailey now. Bailey's asking price was too high. It's Melancon's job to lose.

deansdaddy wrote: Right now Melancon would be the front-runner to open the year as Boston's closer. I still think they are going to bite the bullet and sign Ryan Madson, making Melancon the set-up guy.

Agreed. Melancon doesn't strike me as having an elite closer profile. Plus, how is going to fare in the AL East?

Lowrie will slide right into the Astros lineup as their new starting SS, so I am interested to see what kind of upside others see here. I think he could make an even better play as a CI with potential 20 hr/80 rbi upside.

That's the most aggressive projection I've seen. Can he really garner more than 500 ABs? Also, if he wasn't able to produce very high counting stats in the stacked lineup he was in before the trade, why would he do it in that weak Astros lineup? I'd love for you to be right. Maybe there are other selling points I am not weighing correctly.

My take is that he remains a low double-digit HR guy. His power potential from a few years ago, seems to have slipped.

He may be a switch-hitter but can't hit right-handed pitching. I would venture he'll be hard-pressed to reach 450 ABs and will probably finish in the 50-60 RBI range.