Do you see him as a closer? "We believe he's definitely capable of closing and capable of pitching in the ninth inning for us. But those are questions that Bobby, with help from his pitching coach in spring training, will answer and figure out the right roles for everyone."
Is is necessary to go into spring training with a closer in place? "I don't think it's completely necessary. We have in the past done that and there have been other years when we haven't. I think, as I said before, we'd like to have a defined closer on Opening Day and we believe Melancon is completely capable of doing that or keep working. As I said, Bobby will make those decisions with help from his pitching coach during spring training."
Does Cherington see the possibility of adding another closer type? "Well, we felt like we had some options even before the trade in guys who could do it, guys that have done it in the past, guys who we think are ready to do it, perhaps. Melancon certainly adds an important piece in a guy that has done it very recently and more recently than anyone else on our roster. So we feel pretty good with the way the back of the bullpen is shaping up. But there is certainly time between now and spring training and we're going to continue to look for ways to make the team better."
With Kyle Weiland gone, what now for Felix Doubront and Junichi Tazawa? "Right now, we plan to bring all those guys into camp as starters. If something changes, if we feel like there's better opportunity for them in a different role, we could certainly adjust. As a general rule, and Bobby and I have had a chance to talk about this, it's generally wise to keep guys stretched out and capable of starting. It's a lot easier to go the other way and shorten guys up than it is to stretch guys out."
