With the non-waiver trade deadline less than two weeks away, the San Diego Padres hold arguably one of the more sought-after players in reliever Brad Hand.
Even with the Washington Nationals addressing their bullpen needs by trading for Ryan Madson and Sean Doolittle, interest in Hand is believed to include contenders Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Dodgers reportedly are in search of a left-handed reliever, and are believed to be willing to part with Brandon Morrow or Sergio Romo, possibly both, in a trade to bolster their relief corps.
If they are to swing a deal with the Padres for Hand, it may come at the expense of notable prospects, as San Diego is said to have a high asking price, according to ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick:
#Padres GM A.J. Preller is asking for teams' "top, top prospects'' in talks for Brad Hand, says an evaluator with a club that's inquired.
— Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) July 18, 2017
It was previously reported the Padres asked for outfield prospect Alex Verdugo to be included in a trade for Hand. Now that Cody Bellinger has cemented a role with the Dodgers, Verdugo is widely viewed as the organization’s top hitting prospect.
If not Verdugo, where the Dodgers could trade from is a deep stash of young pitchers. The group is headlined by Walker Buehler, who presumably would be a non-starter for the Dodgers. Behind Buehler are the likes of Yadier Alvarez, Trevor Oaks and Brock Stewart, among others.
Hand owns a 2.25 ERA, 2.75 FIP and 0.98 WHIP in 43 games this season. He was the Padres only player named to the National League roster for the 2017 MLB All-Star Game. Hand ranks ninth with a 2.8 WAR among relievers who have thrown 50 innings this season.
The 27-year-old is under team control through the 2019 season. Hand recently praised the Dodgers fan base and said he’d welcome the opportunity to join a contender, but also expressed confidence in the Padres moving forward.
