The Los Angeles Dodgers are believed to be in the market to add a left-handed reliever before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, and among the names that have surfaced are Baltimore Orioles closer Zach Britton, Justin Wilson of the Detroit Tigers and Brad Hand of the San Diego Padres.
Each of the relief pitchers have drawn reported interest from several clubs, including multiple contenders, though some of that appears to be cooling for Britton amid concerns over a forearm strain he suffered this season. Whether Hand would be traded has also been tempered.
Padres general manager A.J. Preller is known to seek significant returns for any players he has on the market, and that’s certainly the case with Hand. One executive recently compared Preller’s asking price to what the Dodgers would command for Clayton Kershaw, via Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports:
“I don’t think the Dodgers would ask more for Kershaw than A.J. is for Brad Hand.”
While the executive made the comment tongue in cheek, the Padres presumably are in position to receive a significant haul for their All-Star reliever. Hand is in the midst of the best season of his seven-year Major League career.
In 47 appearances, Hand has yielded a 2.08 ERA, 2.62 FIP and 0.98 WHIP while striking out 67 and walking 14 in 52 innings of work. While the Dodgers seem like a perfect fit for Hand, they simply may not be willing to meet the asking price.
The Padres reportedly are seeking ‘top, top prospects’ for Hand and were said to have asked the Dodgers to include Alex Verdugo in a potential trade.
For as much as Los Angeles may look to acquire a left-handed reliever, their bullpen holds the second-best ERA (2.86) in the Majors as of Thursday morning. What’s more, the group is holding opponents to an MLB-best .621 on-base plus slugging percentage.
