DHP_5437

Pirates make right decision in moving Melancon

There was so much smoke surrounding a Mark Melancon trade in the past 24 hours that it was inevitable the Pirates were going to trade Melancon than lose him for nothing this off-season as the team had no plans to make a qualifying offer.

The Pirates this afternoon struck a deal with the Washington Nationals that sends Melancon and cash to the Nationals with the Pirates receiving reliever Felipe Rivero and pitching prospect Taylor Hearn.

From the Pirates end they are going to sell this that they have arms to replace Melancon in Tony Watson and Neftali Feliz and it was important to get something in return for Melancon with him set to walk as a free agent.

For a team that’s three games out of the second wildcard and having no shot of catching the Cubs for the division, the greater value was trading Melancon.

The question now is whether the Pirates got enough for Melancon. The return is certainly not an Aroldis Chapman type return the Pirates were rumored to be seeking this morning but when you breakdown the deal, it’s easy to see why the Pirates like the deal.

In Rivero, the Pirates get a hard throwing lefty who will slide into a middle relief role. Rivero, 25, has a 4.53 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 53/15 K/BB ratio over 49 2/3 innings. The Pirates love hard throwing lefties, especially one’s with high strikeout ability.

Rivero is also a Pirates’ type acquisition in that he’s under team control through the 2021 season. Immediate reactions in Pirates circles [hide] is the team see’s some late inning potential in Rivero. Despite the 4.53 ERA, it’s easy to see why the Pirates like Rivero.

One source texted “amazing stuff” when asked about Rivero.

Where there’s going to be many complaints with this deal was the Pirates not getting a top-10 prospect or even a top-20 prospect for Melancon.

Taylor Hearn, 21, is a hard throwing southpaw in Low-A ball. He was the Washington Nationals 5th round pick in 2015 and was actually drafted by the Pirates in 2012 but not signed.

MLB.com had Hearn rated as the Nationals 27th ranked prospect.

This season Hearn has pitched in a combined 29 innings, allowing 27 hits, 14 runs, with a 39/13 K/BB ratio.

Like Rivero, Hearn can bring the heat, topping out at 99-100.

MLB’s Scouting Report on Hearn:

[Hearn was drafted on three separate occasions before he finally signed with the Nationals for $275,000 as a fifth-round pick in 2015. The Oklahoma Baptist product drew raves from scouts during his pro debut in the New York-Penn League, and he continued to impress in the fall instructional league. Promoted to Class A Hagerstown for his first full season, Hearn fired five scoreless innings in his Suns debut but left his subsequent start after he suffered a broken foot while covering first base. The injury cost the left-hander most of the first half, though he was able to make a healthy return to the mound in late June. Hearn showcased a dynamic fastball during instructs, sitting at 95-98 mph and bumping 99 in short bursts out of the bullpen. The 6-foot-5 left-hander usually operates in the low to mid-90s as a starter, with significant late movement and downhill plane that generates a lot of whiffs as well as countless broken bats. Hearn’s power slider is raw but shows the makings of becoming an out pitch that can miss bats on both sides of the plate. He also has a changeup, though it lags well behind his two main offerings and will need to be developed thoroughly for him to remain a starter. The Nationals will continue to develop him in that role, knowing that he could still jump on the fast track to the big leagues with a move to the bullpen.]

Photo: David Hague [/hide]