Mark Melancon is entrenched as the Padres closer
Credit: Padres
It appears that Mark Melancon will be the San Diego Padres closer in 2021.Â
The San Diego Padres made a move after move, acquisition after acquisition in the last 18 months. Yu Darvish, Blake Snell, Mike Clevinger, Austin Nola, Trent Grisham, Tommy Pham, and Jake Cronenworth are just a few of the many names that made their way to San Diego.
At the trade deadline of the 2020 season, general manager A.J. Preller went out and acquired Trevor Rosenthal to be the team’s closer after Kirby Yates was shut down for the year.
Rosenthal, a fan favorite in America’s Finest City, wasn’t brought back and ended up signing a deal with the Oakland Athletics. Kirby Yates went to Toronto, and suddenly the Padres were in need of a closer.
The questions remained all offseason. Would Drew Pomeranz be the guy? Or perhaps Emilio Pagan would step in and fill the void.
Well, that question was all but answered when the Padres signed Mark Melancon.
The Padres and Mark Melancon are in agreement on a deal, pending a physical, sources tell The Athletic.
— Dennis Lin (@dennistlin) February 12, 2021
The veteran hurler had bounced around the league for some time, making seven different stops before arriving at Petco Park. However, earlier in the offseason, we addressed the situation of the Padres’ bullpen, especially after the signing of Keone Kela, who also was being discussed as a closer option for San Diego.
Rest assured, it’s clear as crystal that Melancon is the closer for the Padres. Through the first week of the season, Melancon has made four appearances and tossed an inning each time out with three saves and has looked terrific.
Mark Melancon enters in the 9th and shuts down the #DBacks!@Padres | #HungryForMore pic.twitter.com/NJ6k5hEOux
— Bally Sports San Diego (@BallySportsSD) April 1, 2021
Jayce Tingler doesn’t seem to waver at all when asked if Melancon is the closer for this year’s Padres’ group.
“As we sit, when he’s available, I think there’s a good chance that he’s throwing in the ninth,” Tingler said per 97.3 The Fan.Â
This shouldn’t be too much of a surprise.
“What he brings is a lot of success. He has closed out a lot of games,” Tingler said (97.3 The Fan).
That’s certainly true. Melancon has over 200 career saves in his time in the majors. With that being said, it seems like he is the lock to be this team’s closer going forward in 2021.
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Rest assured, if an injury occurs, the Padres can always hand the keys over to Kela, Pomeranz, or Pagan, so Tingler has plenty of options to work with on a day-to-day basis if he has to.
As for now and for the foreseeable future, Mark Melancon will be shutting the door for the Padres in 2021.
Matthew Wadleigh, born in Oceanside and currently lives in Fresno. He lives with his wife and 2 dogs and is a sports enthusiast. Retired drummer and member of the Fresno State Marching Band. He has been a Padres fan since childhood and has suffered during the struggles just like everybody else.