12:05PM: Hand will receive $4MM of his salary in 2021, according to The Athletic’s Jim Bowden (Twitter link). The other $6.5MM will be deferred, and paid to Hand over the three-year span of 2022-24.
10:39AM: The Nationals have continued an increasingly busy offseason, announcing on Tuesday that they’ve signed lefty Brad Hand to a one-year contract. The Jet Sports client will reportedly receive a $10.5MM salary for the upcoming season and will again be a free agent next winter.
Hand, 30, has been one of the league’s best relievers over the past five seasons. He broke out with the Padres in 2016 immediately after being claimed off waivers from the Marlins. San Diego traded him to the Indians midway through the 2018 season, where he continued to shine. In two-plus seasons in Cleveland, Hand pitched to a 2.78 ERA over 107 relief innings with a stellar combination of strikeouts (34.8%) and walks (7.9%).
Despite that consistent run of success, the Indians made the decision to decline a $10MM option on Hand’s services for 2021 after last season. Before paying Hand a $1MM buyout, Cleveland placed him on outright waivers in the hope another club would claim him and exercise the option (thus saving them the cost of the buyout). All thirty teams passed on the opportunity to bring in Hand at that $10MM price point.
In the long run, though, Hand makes out a bit better than he would have had Cleveland (or any other team) simply exercised the option. In addition to picking up the aforementioned buyout money, Hand winds up guaranteed an extra $500K in 2021 salary. Of course, teams have a better understanding of their payroll outlooks now than they did last October. The free agent market, while extremely slow, has also been a bit more favorable than many expected on the heels of a 2020 season without gate revenue.
While Hand’s results haven’t tailed off at all, his velocity has fallen rather precipitously over the past couple seasons. Hand averaged a solid 93.8 MPH on his fastball as recently as 2018. That mark fell to 92.7 MPH the following season and was down to 91.4 MPH last year. His swinging strike rate, too, was down notably in 2020. From 2016-19, Hand reliably got whiffs on around 13% of his pitches each season. Last year, that rate was down to a slightly below-average 10.5%.
Despite Hand’s dip in velocity, it’s easy to see the appeal for Washington. The Nationals’ bullpen has been a persistent problem for years. Last season was no exception, as Washington relievers ranked 23rd in the league in ERA (4.68) and 22nd in SIERA (4.46). Longtime closer Sean Doolittle is now a free agent, leaving very little in the way of proven left-handed relievers on the roster. It remains to be seen whether Hand will take over the ninth inning, as he generally had in Cleveland, or if manager Dave Martinez plans to use Hand in high-leverage spots in the middle innings and let Daniel Hudson close.
After signing Hand, Washington’s projected payroll is up to $199MM, per Roster Resource. That’s a $12MM increase over last season’s figure (prior to prorating), so it’s not clear whether or to what extent ownership will greenlight further spending. The Nationals’ luxury tax ledger sits just below $196MM, Roster Resource estimates, $14MM shy of the first tax threshold.
Jon Heyman of MLB Network fist reported that the two sides were close to a deal (Twitter link). Jeff Passan of ESPN first reported the agreement was in place (Twitter link).
A Handy addition to the pen
They played the right hand.
Let’s give the nats a hand folks
Or the left Hand
1. Brad will come in Handy.
2. A Brad in the Hand is worth two in the bush.
How many Hand’s are left
Cambio: I think you misspelled Busch (stadium).
You have to give the Nats a hand in this signing … but on the other hand, they paid more for a season of Hand than the Indians were willing to pay so perhaps they overplayed their hand in the negotiations with Hand. Clearly Hand will come in handy, as a left-handed reliever especially if his hand is fully healthy. But Hand’s hand may not be as handy as it has been as we’ve seen a marked decline in his velocity over the past year. I’m sure that Nats fans would like to be clapping their hands when Hand walks off the mound instead of waving their hands in disgust.
You gotta hand it to him…(ducks)
Some people have too much time on their Hand(s).
If that’s the Hand ya use…..
If the Nats had just raised their Hand when he was waived they could’ve saved 500k
Congrats to the Pirates. All Mike Rizzo got was Hand; Ben Cherrington got Head.
And Jared got ignored! Sucks to be a Met!
Bazinga!
Probably why he sent those naughty e-mails.
dynamite drop in statman, that broadcasting school really payed off
Don’t let this signing distract you from the fact the Braves were “in on Hand until the end but came up a little short.”
Yes I’m being sarcastic on purpose
Nats got Hand, and they’re gonna need it.
The Nats have been getting Hand-ed players on a silver platter this off-season . 1 year deal for Hand, 1 year deal for schwarber and got Josh Bell for a couple of mid-low level prospects. I wonder if the Phillies know FA has begun???
Childish “Hand” jokes.
Are you all 5 year olds?!
Puns – the low hanging fruit of comedy.
… For 5 year olds
1 year 10 mil I bet
Close 10.5
If it’s over the $9 million they had left on his deal, Cleveland has to feel dumb.
That’s not how the market works. It’s fluid. If teams projected in November less game and less revenue and now they project fans and more games than a players worth could change dramatically over two months.
It’s easy to be a simpleton and say why didn’t every team claim him after he was non tendered?¿?
I think the signs always pointed towards a regular season (at least mostly). A vaccine was on its way and unless there was to be another MLB v MLBPA standoff, we were always going to get at least ~5 months of baseball.
Cleveland has shown to be penny pinching as ever this offseason, when not everyone else is following suit. They dumped Hand expecting someone to claim him in order to save a buck. The other teams gambled on being able to get him a little cheaper. It didn’t quite work, but the Nationals only pay him $500K more, so no big deal to them.
You’re hilarious. Clearly penny-pinching leads to winning I guess. People who question what the Indians do generally end up looking at them in the standings. I guess you’d rather they operate like the Phillies: $700 million spent over the last three years. Number of playoff appearances? Zero.
It was 10 million
I would argue the nationals should feel dumb…they could have claimed him off waivers and paid him less.
I think the competitive teams — i.e. Mets, Phils, Twins — who missed out completely feel just a tad dumber this evening.
Phillies weren’t ever involved. So they weren’t signing him anyway. I’m not saying they shouldn’t have been involved, but they didn’t miss out. They were never there.
Yeah, all that talk about the Mets signing him turned out to be a handj — never mind!
That’s where I draw the line! This is getting out of ____…
Wait! But, but Cohen has 5X the money as any other team and gonna get Bauer, Springer, JT, Brantley, Hand, and trade for Lindor while negotiating for Baez.
Well, looks like he’s what every….other….owner is – frugal. He’s particular about spending money. He didn’t get to be that wealthy from wasting money. He’s not going to spend freely for the fans to get a ring right away, because, simply put, money is more important to him than winning. It’s ubiquitous in MLB. Mets fans just bought into the illusion and it’s okay because all fans do for their team.
For whatever reason, the Twins never seemed at all interested in Hand. That’s telling given the FO ties to Cleveland and Hand being from MN.. Right or wrong, they clearly see something in his underlying numbers that they don’t like. I got the impression they weren’t going to get in no matter what.
It’s only been 35 years since the Mets have been World Champions. No biggie.
They both should feel dumb.
Then again it may be that the Mets and Phils are saving their bullets for bigger game.
Way to go Twins.
Having a great offseason, per usual.
For real looks like Falvey is cool with handing the divison over to Chicago.. disgusting.
If Kirilloff doesn’t explode offensively and if they either don’t sign Cruz or they do and he finally shows his age, the Twins could easily finish 3rd.
I also think Maeda is gonna regress. They need to trade for a stater or resign Odorizzi for me to feel good about their rotation.
Doesn’t matter. Yankees will sweep them round 1 of the playoffs.
Grizz…
Disgusting is the best word to describe it. We’re not going anywhere this year in the division. I think 3rd place is absolutely feasible.
Man, Twins fans are really pessimistsic.
This time last year, every fan comment was about how the Twins were going to have the best lineup ever adding Donaldson to that young core. And then guys took steps back all over the lineup. But we learn nothing. The White Sux have a great performance in a small sample and we just expect that to be predictive going forward?
More likely scenario? The Twins have some guys who step back up (Planco, Kepler, Garver) and the White Sox have some players take a step back (Abreu jumps to mind). The Twins clearly aren’t close to done this offseason but it seems likely they add EITHER Cruz or one of Didi/Simmons/Siemen along with a few pen arms/5th starters.
The AL Central is going to be a two-team dogfight that likely depends on the health and effectiveness of pitching since the lineups are relatively even. Is Maeda an ace or more of a #2? Does Giolito put it all together and take the step to dominant #1? What are Kopech and Cease like? Does Happ have another year in the tank? Is Randy Dobnak a great 5th starter or is he on the shuttle with AAA? And most importantly, which pen fares well? Is it better to bring in one big guy (Hendricks) or to cobble together existing prospects and lower-level signings?
Time will tell but this doomsaying of the Twins is a bit much. Offseason isn’t over and the winner of the offseason is rarely the winner of the actual season.
@ZeusMacalester
You are 100% correct on the absurd doomsday talk surrounding the Twins; I would still favor them over the White Sox in the division myself. But where you’re wrong is underestimating the Tribe. Cleveland will be in the mix again. Lindor isn’t near the loss people think he is, and the team is very well led and resourceful. If you’re looking for some surprises offensively, look no further than the Indians. The sticks aren’t going to be near as bad as people project. And they finished a game out of first with an abysmal offense last year.
You’re never completely out of it when you have the pitching that the Spiders have. But man, things have to go really well for Cleveland to score runs at all. Even a short-term DL trip for Ramirez feels like a death blow unless all kinds of guys step up. They seem like a .500 team.
Of course it’s the Nationals. Why should the Phillies have anything good,
Good luck with a loser, Hand. Like you had a good hand to begin with.
You got Archie Bradley at an insane discount… you can’t get everyone and there are still arms out there.
Bet you didn’t think the Nats would win when Harper joined your Phils right?
In all honesty, yes, I personally did. They had Soto and Robles waiting in the wings at the league minimum and used the Harper $ to bring in Corbin. You can’t roll with a rotation of Max, Stras and Corbin and not expect a team to potentially win in big in October.
I really don’t care about your BS opinion
You’re nothing but a stuffed shirt anyway. Who gives their full name on a MLB trade rumors forum
Good luck shopping at discount stores the rest of your life, cromagnon
Someone who isn’t afraid to hide, Pinkerton. Word of wisdom, a question isn’t an opinion either.
Good luck on the year.
The Salt is strong with this one
Damn who took a dump in your breakfast
Lighten up, Pink.
David Fletcher does not approve, *cro-magnon*
Damn, who pissed in your cheerios today?
Drunk. Sorry.
I have no excuse. I was drunk. I need to be better.
I have no excuse. I was drunk and crappy. Need to be better.
Mostly everyone here including myself has been there & done that Pinkerton. Good on you for the apology and others for accepting
Seems more like a phrase of wisdom than a word of wisdom
It’s such a misconception that the Phillies fans thought the team was WS bound after Harper. Harper was simply a piece of the puzzle. It brought excitement to a team that was dead since 2012. I still love the move, but the Phillies have a ton of work cut out for them. Good pickup by the Nats. This is by far the toughest division in baseball. I’d argue the Phillies and Marlins are at the bottom, but still tough.
If you’re referring to my comment, the subject was about the Nationals losing, rather than the Phillies winning.
I agree with your thoughts otherwise.
Yea. I disagree with the OPs comment about the Nats and Hand being “losers.”
AL East is tougher and more competitive.
Phillies are a .500 team.
@pwndroia I agree. But when a .500 team is the worst team in the division, that’s a very good division. The AL East has two sub .500 teams in it.
AL East has the two best teams in the AL. The two best teams in the NL are probably out West. Apologies to Braves fans.
What a plot twist. NL East is in hyper drive now. But I’m guessing Mets realized they’re getting redundant with Lugo, Diaz, May and Betances all having closer experience
All right handed.
Mets continue to keep their thumbs up their asses
Not a bad place to store ‘em
Is that your favorite place to keep yours?
Adding McCann, May, Lindor, and Carrasco is having your thumb up your ass? And sometimes the deal you don’t make is the right move. I’m glad the Mets didn’t pay $10.5M for Hand. They still could use a decent lefty for the pen but not at that price
@ Bill M
Right? The Mets have had an incredible winter!
Mets had an offseason for the record books. Some people are just greedy. lol
Wow. So you and whoever thought they should like your post (you?) said to your selves: “what have you done for me lately? All that Lindor, Corrasco, McCann stuff is old.”
I think it’s because certain Mets fans were predicting the Mets getting…everybody. So, getting only three guys is way short of that mark.
feel like its gonna be a one year+option year deal.
So the nats opted to not claim him for a 1yr 10mil deal and instead sign him outright to a 1yr 10.5mil deal. Well done, nationals, nailed it!
I know right? What the hell was going on when everyone passed on claiming Hand a couple months ago. Was everyone on vacation?
If you don’t know you probably aren’t as smart as you think.
I was thinking the same thing every team had a chance to snag him when the tribe oh wait I mean Cleveland put him on waivers and now they’re paying the same price. I guess they didn’t have to give any one up but still seems a bit silly.
Great sequence of events for Hand though. That man just had an extra $1.5 million fall into his lap. Reminds me of the Robinson Chirinos option the Rangers muffed in 2018.
That’s one way to look at things in a vacuum. We now have a lot more info on where this pandemic is heading than we all did back in October. Also markets aren’t static as someone with your username should know.
Looks like Washington got a hand job
I guess he wants to have a tv remote during the postseason instead of a baseball.
Nats have won a World Series more recently than 28 other teams.
Salty much? Nats won a WS from 19-31 when yur a Mets or Phillies fan.
A nice overpay. At 10 1/2 million it shows you at the nationals were willing to overpay because they’re desperate to add a quality arm to their bullpen.
That said this is a major mess for the New York Mets
How is it a major mess considering all the other moves the Mets have made?
angry thread jeez
Ikr what’s going on
Concur. Kinda like to keep this thread on here instead of getting the comments closed.
I agree DarkSide.. The “other team’s fans” are complaining.. think how CLE fans must feel
As a Cleveland fan I love it. Decreased velocity and 10 million? That’s a hard pass. Cleveland has plenty of arms.
You’re absolutely right, CLE is loaded in pitching. But, losing Brad Hand stinks. Imo he’s not a Bryan Shaw. He’s legit.
They didn’t get any trade piece for him. And yes, even though they have plenty of arms, it doesn’t look like they’re willing to spend the $10m elsewhere around the diamond to improve.
You mean that decreased velocity that resulted in another excellent year in 2020?
You should be upset because there was a marker for him. All they had to do is pick up the option, wait and trade. Even an A-ball lottery card would have been something. A fail.
No market for him in November. Any team could of had him. They probably figured someone would take him. Still no market for him. 500 grand doesn’t get any prospect worth anything.
I didn’t say anything about spending money elsewhere haha. They just don’t need hand. Unfortunately I see naylor at 1st and weak outfielders. Personally and this is my solution for a lot of teams but I like JBJ and Pederson for outfielders. Moreland at first. I am fine with all their pitching as is and the 2 middle infielders from mets trade.
I agree, they need to shore up the OF
So now all the runners up in the Hand sweepstakes can turn their attention to best lefty with closer experience available – Sean Doolittle
I have a preference for Jake McGee. He seems to be flying under the radar
Nationals are going for it and I’m all for it. I would love if they signed JT
I wouldn’t be surprised if JT signed with the Nats instead of Flushing. It would be hilarious too.
NL East is pretty stacked.
@VonPurpleHaze
It really is! I don’t mind though, it makes things more interesting to me! By the way how long have you been on this site buddy? I’ve seen you on here for like a couple of years since I first joined (losbravos69). I enjoy reading your posts! They are generally well thought out and logical.
@Mrtwotone Thanks! I remember losbravos and the feeling is mutual. I’m not sure how long I’ve been here to be honest, but it feels like forever. As for the content of my post, I am guilty of far too many typos and sometimes generally dumb comments. Haha. Glad to see you still around!
Except Phillies are a .500 team and Mets aren’t much better unless they prove it. Nats could go either way depending on how they play. Braves will probably win it and lose in the postseason again, Marlins have upside.
@pwndroia Name one other division that has a .500 team as the worst team in the division.
Way to go, Nats! Slipping up into the suitors’ lists and playing the proper Hand
Gotta Hand it to them.
Who are the other closing candidates there? Have a sneaking suspicion he won’t be closer for the whole season.
I’m baaaack… (Say that in the best Sam Ehlinger impression you can cause it don’t mean much lmao).
I could’ve sworn that he was going to go to the Mets, but alas I’m mistaken. Hand is definitely Doolittle’s replacement, and imo it’s a good replacement.
Got to wonder where Doolittle goes now. Hope he stays in the NL East because why not?
Someone might get a steal on a bounce back type contract with Doolittle.
heard of a team in Philly that could use relief help…
@DarkSide I’d be happy with that signing. I’d take Justin Wilson as well. All the leftovers from our NL East rivals would be welcome.
Got to Hand it to the Nationals!
And a slight raise. The Indians dumping him before the offseason even started was not a good move.
Not that Cleveland is innocent in this because the only reason this even happened was they were being cheapskates, but the whole reason they did that was to have someone claim him so they could avoid paying his buyout.
The fact that he got $10.5M in FA means theoretically someone should have claimed him and saved CLE the money. So considering their goal of having an embarrassingly low payroll, what they were trying to do should have worked, it just didn’t because no one knew what the market would end up looking like.
HAHAHAH METSFAN22
MetsFan22 Day #1
If he wants to play for a winner in a great environment, he’ll sign with us.
MetFan22 Day #2
I’m so glad the Mets passed. We dodged a bullet on that one.
I still go by the first statement. He would have been a good get. So no we didn’t dodge a bullet. I’m just not mad. It’s wahtever. I’m not going to stop him to getting 4th place.
@MetsFan22 4th place? Who gets 3rd? Marlins? Genuinely curious. Not beinh sarcastic.
Phillies or Nats get 3rd. Marlins are a lock for 5th
I have the Phillies in 5th. Things will change if they get Realmuto and a SS. Things will really change if they get Realmuto, a SS and some pitching help.
Im not mad lol. Are you a fish fan?
4th place is delusional we were 19-31 and won WS you guys were once like 11-1 and choked. 2nd place is calling my name
The Nats are the 3rd or4th best team.
At least we have a GM that doesn’t send dick pics and makes good moves lol.
I hope the Mets have something (other than a hot Cleveland-Steamer) up their sleeve…
Why would they pass him up, especially if he’s cool with 1 year?? Do they think rolling with lefties Matz & Blevins is acceptable?
I know there’s still time, but daaaamn.
Great job in landing Brad HAND
Now, go out there and land Michael BUSH and Doug FISTER
I spit my beer out when I read this. Thank you @PoppyGetsSloppy!
Hahaha. Amazing.
I would guess the the teams were bidding higher for him maybe a multi year pact
Every GM in the majors is an idiot for not claiming him on waivers for $10M when they had the chance.
That’s all Hand cost? The Blue Jays front office really missed out.
It’s the weekend!
Nats taking their cues from the Braves and Anthopoulos on the art of the one-year deal. Good pick-up, catcher next.
Anybody could have had him for 10 million at the start of free agency. Why are people all of a sudden willing to pay more?
That’s how markets work. Every team that was interested thought if he was waived they could get him for less than his 10m salary, then his price gets bid back up. Guys making $10m often aren’t claimed after being waived, I can’t think of any off the top of my head.
The Mets could still resign Justin Wilson.
I’m surprised Mets have not signed him yet
Someone will sign him soon. He is easily the best lefty reliever remaining on the FA market. It’ll be interesting to see what he gets and where he goes as he should get quite a few offers. A good guy to have.
100%
Agreed. He was good last year and it would be good to get him back.
I was hearing Hand to Toronto. Happy to see him in Washington. That said you can name very few teams actually going for it. 1: San Diego. 2: White Sox. 3:,Mets. 4: Toronto. 5: Washington. Teams not trying . 1: Pittsburgh. 2: Cubs. 3: Oakland. 4: Cincinnati. 5: Baltimore. 6: Boston.7: Seattle. 8: Colorado. 9; Arizona. 10: Detroit. Everyone else trying a little bit.
The Dodgers, Yankees, and Braves aren’t going for it?
What is this list? It’s a mix of contenders and teams clearly selling/rebuilding. I cannot make sense of it.
How dare you question someone who personally takes credit for 27 World Series titles.
Haha. I’m just confused by thr omissions.
All three of those teams did not really improve to the degree the Mets did ( I hate admitting that).
@NY_Yankee true, but all 3 of those teams didn’t need to improve as much as the Mets.
The Dodgers are loaded with talented young players. Young players tend to improve. That’s why the Padres will have a hard time catching them. You don’t make transactions just to make transactions.
Cleveland belongs in the not-trying group.
Dam* I wish Mets could have made it work out because I personally could care less about his drop in velocity the guy can flat out pitch and has excellent movement with his off speed stuff.
Baffles my mind Sandy talked a Big game saying how ohhh if it was under Cohen and him when the chance to claim his 1 year 10 million salary we would have been interested. What happens? Have a chance to get him for 500k over his 10 million salary for a 1 year deal when YOU HAVE NO LEGIT LEFTY IN THE BULLPEN and they still miss out. As a Mets fan I’m disgusted. Icing on the cake he goes to a division rival. SAME OLD METS!!! He was IMPERATIVE and they still botched it Smfh
I had the under/over at a week that the NYM fans would start complaining that all they did was to land Stroman, May, McCann, Lindor, Luccheis, & Carrasco.
I won. Fans like you are pathetic.
Wait until Justin Wilson signs with the Phillies or Braves. You might as well go double or nothing on the under now.
@JoeBrady Fans like me are pathetic? Wow you sound like an ignorant moron. Explain to me how I sound pathetic when a Top Left handed reliever is what the Mets needed to round out the off season and needed for a Bullpen that blew how many games last season and the year before that? You also do realize until Lindor signs an extension he’s just a 1 year rental as it stands right now.
I think @JoeBrady is saying that many fans would’ve loved having the offseason of the Mets. So far it’s truly been excellent compared to most teams. So, with most fans pining for their teams to sign one upper tier player, your frustration boils over for missing only one.
Seems a bit much for a lot of fans who are watching their GMs scraping the bottom of the barrel.
Lol yeah that is more than fair. Mets have made more noise this winter than any of my lifetime combined. So the point is well taken, but I also was confused as to why we couldn’t work something out with Hand or Wilson. While admitting we suddenly are an entitled franchise… let’s go fill our last two needs: CF & RP! LOL
MetsMostLoyal: I completely understand and relate. Same with the Yankees. He’s seemingly a great fit and they have a need, so what the hell?
I don’t know, but I’m just happy they’re starting to take some action. I think Tallion will be better than what a lot are saying. Kluber, who knows? But man, if we pulled off something like a Lindor trade and signed a catcher, and then a good RP ( May ), I’d be thrilled!
Aloha, Mr. Hand!
I got it.
*favorite
Why doesnt mike rizzo get more respect? Hes one of the best executives in mlb. Forget the title he won over my stros! This nationals team is a contender every year. They scout internationally as good as anyone. They draft and develop as good as anyone. And they make shrewd moves.
I agree, I love their philosophy of building around big name pitchers and prioritizing it first. Astros won the chip because they did the same thing with Verlander. Starting pitching wins you titles.
2019 was the only time in Expos/Nationals history that the franchise won a playoff series. Other post-season appearances came in ’81, ’12, ’14, ’16, and ’17. Even in just the Rizzo era, they haven’t been a contender every year.
Actually, they did win a post-season series in ‘81.
Who says he isn’t respected?
Getting notifications way late the last week or so
Nats certainly have other needs but not a bad signing when viewed through the lens of what Liam Hendricks got
Rats. I really hate it when the Nats improve.
Weird. Why not just claim him?
Trade for him? He was released…all they needed to do was claim him before he cleared waivers and his salary would have been $10M. No need to trade anything for him.
At the time, no one knew whether or not there would be 162 games, or at what point we’d have fans. What did they lose for waiting? $0.5M?
We still don’t
There’s probably deferred money in the deal not being reported yet.
@Veej. ROFL! I was going to post that same joke but I wasn’t sure enough people would understand how the Nationals break up contracts with deferrals.
So my guess is, when he reports, the first 99.9% of the season he gets paid a $5 food voucher, a gas card for $10, a box and umbrella in loo of hotel rentals and a pack of zebra stripes gum every month. Then on the last day of the season at 11:55 PM, when the moon is full and the planets are aligned, the remaining value of his contract will be paid out.
I wouldn’t be surprised.
The Mets aren’t making the playoffs
Nats will win the East. One of a handful of teams who spent cash like it’s a normal offseason. Damnit.
The Nats have made a few moves that I have really liked, but there are other teams – in the East alone – that spent money like it was a normal offseason. Not really anything special about the Nats alone. Despite that, I can still very well see them making the playoffs.
Rangers29: one of the Rangers I could envision the Yankees attempting to acquire at some point (emphasized not immediately or even this year) is Joey Gallo. Good D and crushing LH power in that short porch.
What do you think would be a reasonable package TX would accept if they did go that direction?
Hmm… So many variables. I believe that Gallo can go back to being an all-star again, but maybe not MVP level like his half of 2019 was. A .900 ops with 40-50 homers and terrific defense for a year and a half is worth top prospects. A haul. Let me think out loud here…
So… The Rangers might be deep in pitching prospects, but all they have are 4th starter potential (Dunning and Winn might be the exceptions to the rule). With that being said, I’d say Schmidt would be the headliner. He’s 24, so you could throw him into the Rangers’ plans of having a plethora of young MLB ready players right now with Dunning, Lowe, Solak, Calhoun, Allard, J Hernandez, Evans, Dahl, Leclerc… the list goes on.
The Rangers have some good infield depth in the minors as well as at catcher, but outfield is weeeeak. This team is also back to having too many lefties, so preferably a right-handed outfield bat(s) would be ideal. Looking through Yanks prospect lists, the best outfielder there (and one of my favorite prospects there) is Florial. I love the fielding tools of his, and it looks like he has power for days (essentially, Gallo) though he too is left-handed. I will contradict myself just this once and add Florial because he is replacing the left-handed Gallo so it doesn’t make much difference (and I love his tools).
The final piece will be an interesting lotto piece, Beck Way. Good fastball and changeup, looks like a future bullpen arm but he’s currently starting, and if he wants to continue starting he’ll need a better breaking pitch.
Here’s the final trade:
Yanks get: Gallo
Rangers get: Schmidt, Florial, and Way
This would be mid-season in 21′, and after a (hypothetical) good half-season by Gallo.
You really haven’t been paying attention. The Braves picked up Morton and Smyly and the Mets acquired Lindor, Corrasco..well never mind, you haven’t been paying attention
Paying attention would ruin the “hot take.”
Mets saving money for Bauer.
If healthy the Nats will be as good as anybody in the East~
Health is a big issue for the Nats, and I expect it to be again. Still great pickup.
If the Mets stay healthy they are best team.
In the history of the world.
In their division, maybe.
Yes Mets are best team in MLB history, man they are so great people may not be able to watch them on TV because none of us are worthy to be in their presence (as they finish out of the playoffs yet again in 2021).
@slider No, Nats are at best the 3rd place team, barring major injuries. Braves have a more complete roster and the Mets’ overhaul, especially getting Lindor and Carrasco, vaults them above the Nats. The Nats have pitching, but aside from Soto (not buying Turner’s breakout year just yet; he’s just a bit above average IMO), who’s going to produce runs for them? The Nationals are the Cleveland Baseball Club of the NL East: enough pitching, but only one elite offensive player. And like Cleveland, they’re bound for 3rd place.
Every team in the league whiffed on this one except the Nationals
Not except the Nationals. They should have claimed him.
Classic MLB move right here. No wonder why the players don’t trust the owners (and vice versa). Every team was crying poor-mouth at the end of last season and all 29 teams avoided Brad Hand like he was COVID himself. Now the Nats end up paying more for him than they could have had him for back in October…classic!
Brad Hand comes out on top here for sure. His $10M option was declined, he was bought out for $1M, unsure of where he was going to play in 2021 and unsure of his true value in the ‘depressed’ market that deemed $10M was too rich for his services. Now he signs this deal with the Nats for $10.5M so he is going to end up getting paid $11.5M when any team could have claimed him for $10M in October. Only in MLB does this happen! Good for Brad; I hope he kills it for Washington this year and finally gets the multi-year deal he deserves.
Per Jim Bowden, a lot of the money is deferred. Apparently the Nats would rather pay him $500k extra if it means they get to defer some of the money. I’m not saying I agree but if true that would explain it.
It is also good for Hand. He lives in Florida – no state income tax. So that deferred money is free from state tax.
Good point. Wondering how much of it is deferred.
Wasn’t it reported that other teams were willing to go 2 years? Seems weird that this is what he got, but who knows what the market was for him or if he has some affinity for the Nats or DC area.
He’s from Minneapolis and expressed interest in going home to play I was all but sure it was Twins or Mets.
Twins never seemed to have real interest in him unless the market fell out. I imagine that their analytics-minded FO was not enamored with the drop in velocity. I don’t blame them either, that’s not generally a good trend in a 30 year old.
Man, these comments a punny!!!
Goddamn it. Good sign Nats. I was hoping he’d end up with the LAD’s
Hand can do the job
Hand job
He finishes it off every time.
Yes, he performs well in sticky situations.
Mets are coming up lame.. still need a LHP for their pen.
I think it’s clear something is up. I think it’s Bauer.
Perhaps. But I’m still skeptical of their bullpen.
They need a lefty, but otherwise it’s pretty stacked compared to everyone else in their division. How hard is it to find a situational lefty?
I’m still expecting Bauer to the Angels. They desperately need another SP and with the Astros and A’s taking a step back, that division is open if they’re aggressive enough.
Justin Wilson is fine. Just resign him and check off another box. Not sure how we match up with the Brewers or what they might want in return, but if Hader could be had, go for it!
Is Doolittle still unsigned?
The loudmouth otherwise known as Sean Doolittle is unsigned. His social media shadow is so vast I thought the entire world knew he was unsigned. Stay tuned, he’ll probably let everyone know what he ordered for curbside pickup for lunch today.
Hand wants to close. It’s a one-year contract so he’ll be on the open market again after the season. Closing in 2021 should increase his value next offseason if he performs well. Same thing for Hernandez in Boston. He’ll get a lot more at bats and (infield) innings there than he would as part-timer on many other teams It’s not “lame” when targets don’t want their likely role on a team.
Where did all the people go who insisted he would never get more than the 10 mil?
Come on, New York papers. Give us a headline that baseball fans can enjoy.
HAND GIVES METS THE FINGER, SIGNS WITH NATS
We have the Mets winning the World Series in the off season. Who wins in the regular season.
Honestly, all things being equal, I can’t see anyone dethroning the Dodgers.
jediknight, I hope you’re right. Right now, I see Friedman watching some of these teams overspend to fill out rosters, and then swooping in with a shrewd move or two. He is very good at playing the off-season waiting game. This is hysterical to me because there are impatient Dodger fans out there who think he should quickly trade all his good prospects to land the stud of their dreams. But he never does that, choosing instead to wait it out for a price he’s willing to pay.
I can see the Padres doing it if their SPs are about as good as last year. Their offense and pitching could then both hang with the Dodgers and Kershaw is surprisingly human in the playoffs.
In the AL, if the White Sox sign either Tanaka or Cruz and they get a bounceback season from Moncada and at least two of Robert, Cease, Kopech, Lopez, Madrigal take a sizable step forward, I’d say they have a shot, but that’s a lot of “if’s.” And I say that as a White Sox fan. The Mets, should they land Bauer, could be a problem with the 1-2 punch of Bauer and DeGrom. The Dodgers would have to beat at least one of them and sweep the 3 games they don’t pitch; certainly possible, but not easy.
If I had to put a percentage chance on teams winning it all this year, it’d be something like:
1. Dodgers (30%)
2 Padres (25%)
3 White Sox (15%, this high mostly because the AL is weaker than the NL this year)
4 Mets (w Bauer 15%, w/o 10%)
5 Field (15-20%)
Scherzer
Stras
Corbin
Lester
Ross
Turner
Soto
Castro
Bell
Schwarb/Zim
Kieboom
Gomes
Robles
P
Top rotation, good pen, lineup ok, but would prefer a real leadoff or a splurge for Bryant. Honestly, if the DH is there, may want to go with Stevenson at leadoff with Schwarber as DH.
Tommy La Stella might make sense for them. Lefty bat with some pop who puts the ball in play and doesn’t give away too many at-bats. He also provides some defensive versatility. In 1,496 career plate appearances, La Stella’s walks-to-strikeouts are 143/159.
Judging by the roster, the Nats could use a lefty-hitting infielder. Aside from Bell being a switch-hitter at 1b, the only lefty-swinging IF is Garcia. La Stella may not be a prototypical leadoff hitter, but good near the top of the order because he grinds out intelligent at-bats. That makes him valuable in the modern game of working pitch counts.
Could also use a right handed OF bat, in case they want to platoon Schwarber vs a tough LHP.
I wonder what kind of a deal Adam Duvall winds up getting. He made a combined $6 million the last two years in Atlanta. Those are his biggest paydays. Big swinger who doesn’t walk much at all, but in a platoon role can be useful. The kind of guy who when hot can carry a team for a week. Adding both La Stella and Duvall could be cost-effective. I haven’t checked the Nats payroll. How does it look?
I think right now Stevenson is the platoon. He does OK vs lefties and I believe the Nats want him to get 400+ ABs this year. It’s time to see what they have in Andrew. Fish or cut bait if ya know what I mean
I’d say La Stella would be a good add for them, but wouldn’t be interested in Duvall. He’s a little above average on defense, though that’s declined in recent years, but has a low OBP and doesn’t hit for enough power to make up for that. Even on a platoon basis, I think they can do better.
Per Spotrac, they have about $16.7M in cap space. That’s enough to sign La Stella and still have room to add a better player than Duvall.
14M left or is it 4M after Hand?
Cey Hey, interesting post re: LaStella. Unless Rizzo signs another FA, it looks like the starters at 3B and 2B will be some combo of Castro, Kieboom, & Garcia. Davey loves Castro so it’s then up to those other 2. No harm signing LaStella because Garcia is only 20 — let him season another year. With Josh Harrison filling in as needed.
Re: payroll — since Nats are already $12mm OVER LY’s pre-prorated payroll I’d be shocked to see them make other major FA moves, especially since Rizzo likes to save $$ for mid-season acquisitions.
1.Scherzer
2.Corbin
3.Strasburg
4.Lester
5.Ross
1.Stevenson LF
2.Robles CF
3.Soto RF
4.Turner SS
5.Bell 1B
6.Castro 3B
7.Garcia 2B
8.Gomes C
9.Pitcher SP
I like this idea better. Steve got some potential and Robles could unlock his full with the best hitters behind him in Soto, Trea, and Bell. V also has speed, so he should provide a lot of early R for the Nats and Steve works the count! Also having Trea hitting clean up gives you the best all around hitter in the line up who could just do just about anything while Soto and Bell provides the Pop around him.
I guess this means the Mets are getting Bauer?
Not necessarily. I think it’s down to the Angels and Mets, though. Angels make a lot of sense with the top of that division weakening, the M’s not there yet and the Rangers in a rebuild. Bauer could be enough to get them to the playoffs, especially if they run him out every 4th game (and his arm doesn’t fall off pitching that much).
So they paid 500k extra for not claiming him on waivers haha
Unless I’m missing something, Brand Hand could’ve totally gotten a 2-year, possibly multi-year deal, eh? The numbers are totally there, and it sounds like the only drawback is the decreasing velocity. He’s still been good despite that.
FIFY: “His swinging strike rate was down notably in 2020 too.”
Great signing for the Nationals. Brad can lend a Hand in the pen.
A Good signing in my mumbled opinion…
hand has had some degradation in his base ability the last two years, but is still getting results with what he has. It remains to be seen if he can get back some of the velocity and swing and miss numbers. But in the mean time he should be just fine in our pen
If the Nats aren’t playoff bound at the trade deadline Rizzo will rebuild his farm in just one season. A hand well played!
I’m just eager to see where Bauer ends up now. Both Mets and Angels make a ton of sense and whichever team gets him might well catapult themselves to the top of their respective divisions. Anyone have any dark horse destinations for him? (Yes, I know, insert obligatory “Blue Jays are interested” joke here.)
Hudson’s saves are rarely clean and he blows more than Diaz. Maybe Hand took the Nationals offer for one year (over the Mets) because saves translate into more $$ than holds will for next year’s contract.
Rainey, Hudson, Harris, and Hand — probably the best back end of a bullpen they’ve had in years. Throw in Romero and some minor additions and the bullpen will be fine.
The hand of fate is on me now
It pick me up and knock me down
The Nationals, Kings of deferred contracts other than when the Wilpons owned the Mets. I look forward to Bobby Bonilla day every year.
are teams really this poor?
That’s what I’m saying. You’re gonna finance one year of this guy over the next 4 years?!!! Dude, if money is that tight maybe you shouldn’t be spending anything. And Hand agreed to this?!!
Solaris602, money is NOT tight with The Nationals. Their payroll for 2021 is sitting at approx $199 million. And after Rizzo does his usual mid-season Add-on’s they’ll eclipse the $200 mm figure with no problem. The club also has over $100 million in cap space next season after the current deals come off the books then (that amount does not include $$ needed in ARB for several players, notably Soto and Turner).
A measly $6MM deferred over the next 3 seasons does not translate into financial doom and gloom for a club that spends like they do.
Newsflash..
People are stupid.
This looks like Nationals’ special – deferring contract payments into the future. It’s not quite the Bobby Bonilla deal, but gives Brad a helping hand for future security.
Hey, any one would love to make $2 M a piece in the next two years while sitting at home or working out another contract in FA. Good deal for both. Too bad the Jays don’t have this creative ideas! Got to Hand it to the Nats
Mike Rizzo loooooooves to pinch pennies, maybe one day he’ll find a whole quarter in the couch
I suspect it’s the ownership.
Hand-y Brady can land a Hand to the Nats!
To compliment brad hand, they also resigned barry foote,and traded for hudson head,
Nats are looking for a firm grip on the NL East.
These deferred payments lower the actual value of the deal, although in this case not by much.
So, The Nats are sitting now at:
1.Stevenson LF
2.Robles CF
3.Soto RF
4.Turner SS
5.Bell 1B
6.Castro 3B
7.Schwarber DH
8.Gomes C
9.Garcia 2B
With DH, without DH:
1.Stevenson LF
2.Robles CF
3.Soto RF
4.Turner SS
5.Bell 1B
6.Castro 3B
7.Garcia 2B
8.Gomes C
9.Pitcher SP
how much did the angels low-balled to lose him tognats?
No relation at all to Barry Foote
Nice to see Nats sign someone that is not a “wing and a prayer” player. Unfortunately his metros say his performance to date has a lot of mirrors and lights in it and could crash any time too. Depending how luck holds out the Nats can be very good or very bad in 2021.