Funny the way things change.
When Jason Grilli hurt his forearm midway through last season, it was something just short of a disaster in Fantasy. He was the darling late-rounder whose rapid rise was as surprising as the Pirates' as a whole, giving him numbers on par with -- or perhaps better than -- Joe Nathan, Aroldis Chapman and even Craig Kimbrel.
Granted, Mark Melancon thrived in his absence, recording 14 saves with a 1.99 ERA in 23 appearances from the time Grilli went down to the time he returned, but he didn't quite dominate the way Grilli did and was, at that time, considered inferior.
Flash forward nearly a year, and Fantasy owners couldn't be more excited to see Melancon back in the role. Grilli just hasn't been the same since the forearm injury -- Fantasy owners came to realize it well before the Pirates did -- and once again, Melancon is thriving with a 1.89 ERA, 0.78 WHIP and 7.8 strikeouts per nine innings. He even got 10 saves earlier this year when Grilli missed time with a strained oblique, eliminating any shred of doubt he could handle the role.
While most every reliever who inherits the closer role midseason brings some measure of uncertainty to it, Melancon looks like a safe bet. Make him a priority off the waiver wire.