MLB trade rumors: Padres deal Brad Hand to Indians | What it means for Yankees, Phillies

The San Diego Padres reportedly traded All-Star reliever Brad Hand to the Cleveland Indians for a top prospect. Here’s what it means for the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies as the July 31, 2018 (7/31/18) non-waiver trade deadline approaches.

One of the best relievers in baseball is on the move–and the Yankees and Phillies missed out.

According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the San Diego Padres shipped lefty reliever Brad Hand to the Cleveland Indians on Thursday. The deal includes major league reliever Adam Cimber heading back to Cleveland. The Indians sent a top catching prospect to San Diego.

Complete deal, per sources: Hand and Cimber from #Padres to #Indians for Mejia.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 19, 2018

Here’s what the deal means for the Yankees and Phillies–two teams linked to Hand over the last month.

Britton interest will increase: With Hand off the board, both teams–along with every franchise interested in beefing up its bullpen this month–will likely look to Orioles lefty Zach Britton as the next best option. Britton, a soon-to-be free agent, owns a 3.68 ERA across 15 appearances this season.

Phillies will likely hold onto top of system: With Manny Machado and Hand off the board, the star rental and elite controllable reliever are no longer there for the Phillies to deal for now. Barring a trade for Kansas City Royals super-utility man Whit Merrifield, it’s likely that Philadelphia will now upgrade this summer without using the top of its system.

Yankees need for a starter increases: In theory, the Yankees didn’t need another starter. If Hand arrived, the team could have rolled out Hand, Chad Green, Dellin Betances, David Robertson and Aroldis Chapman after the fifth inning in October. That idea is now out of play.

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Team control means everything: The top prospect, Yusniel Diaz, (among five) heading to the Orioles for Machado is ranked as the No. 84 player by MLB Pipeline. The prospect, Francisco Mejia, heading back to Cleveland for Hand is ranked No. 15 overall by MLB pipeline.

Desperation wins: The Dodgers’ window to win a title is closing. The same can be said for the Indians. The Yankees (and the Phillies, but to a lesser degree) are just opening long windows to compete for October. Desperation didn’t exist on either side for either player, likely halting the chances of a deal actually commencing.

Joe Giglio may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @JoeGiglioSports. Find NJ.com on Facebook.