Rizzo reacts to Melancon's departure, closer market and Glover's future

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. - The news arrived Monday afternoon at the Winter Meetings that former Nationals closer Mark Melancon had agreed to terms with the San Francisco Giants. Instead of focusing on the possibility of a new leadoff center fielder and a starting pitcher, the Nationals now must also address the ninth-inning role again for 2017.

Melancon agreed to a four-year deal worth $62 million, according to ESPN's Buster Olney.

Specifics of the deal were tweeted out by Alex Pavolic of CSN Bay Area and included $8 million in deferred money off the signing bonus. This is interesting because the Nationals put together a big-money deal for right-hander Max Scherzer that also included deferred money to the tune of $105 million for the final three years of the package.

Interesting that he went for a deal with some deferred money. Nats likely had to do the same, maybe even more deferred. https://t.co/D3kzIwD9eg

-- Mark Zuckerman (@MarkZuckerman) December 5, 2016

President of baseball operations and general manager Mike Rizzo said the Nationals felt they gave the 31-year-old Melancon a competitive offer to stay with the club.

"We gave him an offer that we felt was market value and what we were comfortable giving him," Rizzo said during his daily briefing with reporters on Monday afternoon at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center. "You're talking about one of the elite closers in the game and a great teammate. Conducted himself perfectly as a Washington National. It's just that at the end of the day, the Giants offered him more and he took the deal. That's what free agency's all about.

"These players work extremely hard to become free agents and the market is whatever the market bears. They've got themselves a great citizen and a great pitcher. We had a great relationship here in the short time he was here. He enjoyed his time here, he loved the fan base, he loved the ball club, he loved the clubhouse and his teammates. It just didn't work out, and that's what happens in free agency."

Melancon solved the closer problem for the Nationals after Jonathan Papelbon faltered midway through the 2016 campaign. He finished with 47 saves, 17 of those and a 1.82 ERA while with the Nationals.

With Melancon headed to San Francisco, the big-name closer market narrows to the likes of free agents Kenley Jansen and Aroldis Chapman. Chapman reportedly wants a six-year deal to return to the Cubs and that appears to not be what the World Series champions envisioned. The Marlins have been rumored to want to make a big splash and have interest in Chapman.

Would Rizzo and the Nationals be interested in going after commodities like Jansen and Chapman? Rizzo said the closer's role is not the only opening he will be focused on this offseason.

"We're going to allocate our resources in the best way we possibly can," Rizzo said. "If that's a closer, fine. If it's another position, fine. We're going to give ourselves the best chance to get an impactful player at the right place and use our dollars the best way we can."

The Nationals certainly have some of the parts they need to put together a relief corps. But Rizzo conceded they are looking for more.

"The bullpen is something that we'd like to address," Rizzo said. "We've got a lot of good in-house candidates that we feel like we have a talented, deep bullpen. But our adage over here is you never have enough pitching, and the bullpen is something that we're going to have address."

Rizzo has not been shy about putting young players in important roles in the past. Several young players like Trea Turner, Reynaldo Lopez, Pedro Severino and others got the shot to contribute for the Nationals in last season's run to the National League East title. One pitcher who got an opportunity in a late inning role was right-hander Koda Glover.

Could the Nationals go for an in-house solution to fill the closing role in 2017? Rizzo would not answer the question directly, but he still has high regard for Glover's capabilities.

"I'm confident and comfortable that he is going to be a good asset for the ballclub," Rizzo said of Glover. "He's got good stuff, the right attitude. He's got a little edge to him and a 98 mph fastball."

* World Baseball Classic, Inc. today announced an initial list of 30 players who have confirmed their participation in the 2017 World Baseball Classic. Among the players were Nationals right-hander Max Scherzer.

The list included 24 major league All-Stars. Each federation is required to submit a proposed final roster to WBCI on or before Feb. 6, 2017. The Classic commences in March 2017 in several venues, including U.S. stops in Miami, San Diego and Los Angeles.

The 2016 NL Cy Young winner went 20-7 with a 2.96 ERA in 34 starts for the Nationals in 2016.