NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. -- The first big domino on the relief market came tumbling down Monday at baseball’s winter meetings with word that closer Mark Melancon had agreed to a four-year deal with the San Francisco Giants worth more than $62 million.
Melancon was one of the top three closers on the market, but he was the clear No. 3 behind Aroldis Chapman and Kenley Jansen. With Melancon getting the largest contract ever for a relief pitcher, surpassing the four-year, $50 million deal Jonathan Papelbon got from the Phillies five years ago, it stands to reason that Chapman and Jansen could get even more, both in terms of years and dollars.