With the non-waiver trade deadline only two days away, the Los Angeles Dodgers appear poised to acquire one of Yu Darvish or Sonny Gray. If not Darvish or Gray, Dan Straily reportedly is viewed as a backup option.
Although a potential trade for a starting pitcher has seemingly become a focal point, it’s believed the Dodgers are still in search of a left-handed reliever. Up until the last 10 days, that was widely believed to be the top priority.
The Dodgers have primarily been connected to Zach Britton, Brad Hand and Justin Wilson, though injury concerns have in some regard cooled interest in Britton. The idea is pairing an elite southpaw with Kenley Jansen.
According to Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball, the Dodgers are one of multiple teams with continued interest in a potential trade for Hand:
The San Diego Padres have a new closer in left-hander Brad Hand. Although with the trade deadline approaching, he may not be in Southern California much longer. Sources tell FanRag Sports that Hand is drawing significant interest from teams around the league. The Washington Nationals, Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers appear to be the main teams in on Hand as the deadline approaches.
On the season Hand is 2-4 with six saves, a 2.00 ERA and 0.96 WHIP in 49 games. Entering Saturday he’s appeared in three games in as many days, throwing three innings with just one hit allowed while collecting four strikeouts.
Prior to his current stretch, Hand previously pitched on three straight days two separate occasions this season. The 27-year-old All-Star not only is in the midst of his best year but is also under team control via salary arbitration through the 2019 season.
Thus, the Padres have reportedly set their asking price at a high bar. That prompted an executive to compare it to what the Dodgers would seek if they elected to trade Clayton Kershaw.
San Diego was said to have asked the Dodgers to include Alex Verdugo in a potential trade for Hand. Verdugo has been the subject of the Texas Rangers, though the Dodgers to this point haven’t shown any inclination to trade their young outfielder.
