MLB trade rumors: Padres' Brad Hand to Phillies talk increasing?

by Felix Pantaleón

After missing out on Baltimore Orioles All-Star Manny Machado, the Phillies could turn their attention to San Diego Padres All-Star reliever Brad Hand before the July 31, 2018 (7/31/18) non-waiver trade deadline.

With Manny Machado off the table, the Phillies will have to get creative in order to improve for the stretch run.

One idea that could lead to more wins: Upgrading the bullpen with another dominant arm, shortening games and giving the team a better chance to have continued success in one-run games.

If there’s a dream reliever for the Phillies to pursue, San Diego’s Brad Hand stands out.

Now there seems to be smoke to the fire around possible Phillies interest in the dominant southpaw.

On Wednesday, The Athletic’s Matt Gelb cited a source saying the Phillies have interest in dealing for Hand. That was confirmed by The Athletic’s Padres reporter, Dennis Lin.

The Phillies are one of many teams interested in Brad Hand. The price has remained very high, though. “Would be an awesome addition to any pen,” one scout said. https://t.co/WqmnMCbDBx

— Dennis Lin (@dennistlin) July 18, 2018

Hand, 28, owns a 3.05 ERA across 44.1 innings for the Padres this season. While the ERA is a tad higher than it’s been in recent years, we’re talking about a reliever posting 13.2 SO/9 innings. There’s dominance in this arm.

Since the start of 2016, Hand owns a 2.66 ERA across 213 innings. That’s come with 11.8 SO/9 and 3.07 FIP.

Latest on Hand

Hand, as noted by Lin, would be pricey for the Phillies, Yankees, Indians or any other interested party. His performance dictates that. As does his contract. With a recent contract extension in the books, Hand comes under team control from 2019-2021 (including an option year for the 2021 season) at just over $24.5M. For a pitcher of this caliber, it’s a steal of a contract.

San Diego reportedly has interest in Phillies third baseman Maikel Franco, perhaps leading to the starting point for a deal including Philadelphia’s prospect base.

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