Fantasy Fallout: Melancon's value rises, Watson's surges, Papelbon's falls

Here are the fantasy implications following the trade sending Pittsburgh Pirates RP Mark Melancon to Washington.

Season-Long Fantasy

Melancon was one of the first five-to-seven closers off draft boards to begin the MLB season. He hasn't disappointed this year, posting a 1.51 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP along with 30 saves in 45 appearances. He ranks fifth in the league in saves and has blown just three opportunities on the year.

Melancon's move to Washington is a positive for fantasy owners as he will assume the closing duties for the Nats going forward. At 61-42, the Nationals should provide Melancon more save opportunities thae the Pirates, who are at 52-49. If you're a Melancon owner, you should be thrilled with this deal.

The Nationals rank second in the NL in terms of run differential at +116 and have allowed RPs Jonathan Papelbon and Shawn Kelley to combine for 25 saves, with five blown saves.

Last year, Melancon finished with a league-high 51 saves. As a result of this move, Melancon likely projects to finish with around 45 saves.

For Papelbon owners, the end may be near. Actually, it could be here already. Papelbon has blown games against San Diego and San Francisco over the past week, and Washington manager Dusty Baker sent a distinct message when he had Kelley close Friday's 4-1 over the Giants.

What to do with Papelbon is a difficult question to answer. For now, fantasy owners should hold the volatile veteran, as he may be shipped out of town, thus giving him another opportunity to close elsewhere. Should he stay put in Washington, Papelbon would become droppable for most fantasy players.

Longtime Pirates setup man Tony Watson appears set to assume the ninth-inning role in Pittsburgh. He holds a 2.66 ERA through 44 appearances, though his 3.71 FIP indicates that he hasn't quite been pitching that well.

The 31-year-old left-hander has struck out a respectable 8.09 batters per nine innings for his career, and is slightly below that mark in 2016. For fantasy owners looking for saves off the waiver wire, he's a logical addition.

Other Notes

The final piece of the puzzle here is Kelley; he was seen as a savvy stash in hopes that Papelbon would lose his closing duties, which actually happened. Unfortunately, the steady presence of Melancon douses Kelley's fantasy value. He's back to being an understudy, but behind an even better lead.

Ultimately, Kelley owners should drop him unless they feel like holding in hopes of a Melancon injury.