Giants sign Mark Melancon to a record reliever contract

Mark Melancon was about as lockdown as a closer can get in 2016 in parts of a season with the Pittsburgh Pirates and then the Washington Nationals. He converted 47 of 51 save opportunities with a 1.64 ERA. This earned him a four-year, $62 million dollar contract with the San Francisco Giants.

So the offseason of the reliever is underway. Melancon kicks things off with Kenley Jansen (rumored to be lusted after by Jeffrey Loria and the Marlins) and Aroldis Chapman still to go. Wade Davis is being dangled in trade rumors. There are some truly quality arms out there for the taking if teams will pony up the dollar.

There’s some concern about his K-rate, and of course $62M is a lot of money for a closer. Like, if you’re signing a closer to that type of money, it better be a guy who holds down the job for the length of the contract.

But this is the type of thing that works out seamlessly for the San Francisco Giants. Bobby Evans and Brian Sabean are beaming about this one, and I figure that Melancon converts things at a high clip over the next four seasons as one of the game’s elite finishers. Of course, Melancon goes from a guy we liked decently to now a villain-creature of sorts since he’s joined the Giants. That’s a shame.