9:46: The Phillies and Hand agreed to a one-year deal that would guarantee him $6 million. reports Jeff Passan of ESPN. The hand is represented by Jet Sports Management.
9:20: Phillies in talks with lefty, free agent Brad Hand, tweets John Heyman of MLB Network. He will be the third notable addition to the Phils’ bullpen this offseason. Corey Knebel (who signed before the lockout) and right-handed Juris Surnamewho agreed to the terms on Saturday.
Hand, who turns 32 next week, is a three-time All-Star but is in need of a rebuilding campaign after a poor performance between the Nationals, the Blue Jays and the Mets in 2021. Signed by Washington for one year for $10.5 million. The Hand posted a solid 3.89 ERA with the Nuts last winter, albeit with a significantly reduced strikeout rate of 23.1%.
Things went awry for Hand after a July trade with the Blue Jays, as the left-hander never found his footing in Toronto. The hand was potted in five of his 11 Jays games, eventually bringing in 10 runs (seven earned) on 13 hits and three walks in just 8 2/3 innings. Hand was assigned to the task in August and was claimed by the Mets, where he pretty much turned things around, with seven runs (four earned) on a dozen hits and five walks with 14 strikeouts in 13 1/3 innings.
Overall, Hand ended the 2021 season with a respectable 3.90 ERA, far north of the combined 2.70 ERA he amassed during the 2016-2020 stretch that was marked by three All-Star nods. Last year’s strikeout rate of 21.9% was his lowest since moving to the bullpen full-time in 2016, and his 9.4% walk rate was the second-worst estimate Hand released since moving to relief work. It wasn’t all bad news for Hand, as his average fastball speed rebounded to 93.3 mph after dropping to 91.5 mph in 2020; From 2016 to 2019, Hand averaged 93.4 mph on his fastball, so last year’s mark is exactly the same as Hand’s speed at his peak.
Hand will join the aforementioned Knebel and Familia in the late-inning role in Joe Girardi’s bullpen. He would also give Philam a third left option along with a fireball. Jose Alvarado and waiver Ryan Sherriff. right-handers Serantoni Dominguez, Sam Coonrod, Connor Brogdon as well as Nick Nelson are among the options that could complement the aid corps if the deal to bring Hand into the fold eventually comes through. The Phillies are currently targeting wages of around $200 million, and they’re way south of the new $230 million luxury tax penalty tier one.