After adding to their bench (Ha-Seong Kim, Jurickson Profar) and starting rotation (everyone not named Trevor Bauer) the Padres had just one thing left on their off-season to-do list:
Deepen the bullpen.
They can cross that off, too. The Friars have agreed to a reported one year deal with 35-year-old Mark Melancon, pending a physical. Financial terms were not readily available.
Melancon has plenty of experience in high leverage situations. He’s saved 205 games (in 239 chances) in his 12-year big league career, pitching to a 2.85 career ERA.
Melancon’s arrival means the Padres will have exactly what general manager A.J. Preller has been striving for entering the 2021 season: plenty of legitimate Major League arms on its pitching staff. With a full 40-man roster, San Diego will have to make another move to make room for Melancon.
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