Free Agent Poll: Brad Hand

I kidnapped this idea from Lone Star Ball. They can’t have it back for anything less than a month’s worth of cheese doodles (and I can go through a lot of cheese doodles in a month). It isn’t the first time I’ve stolen from them. The idea is to go through some of the top free agents, use the contract FanGraphs suggests they will get, and have a poll asking if we would like to sign him for that amount.

Brad Hand wasn’t on Keith Law’s list because he put his together before the guys with options hadn’t had them declined yet. FanGraphs has him the 23rd best free agent.

Craig Edwards figures him to get $20 million on a 2-year contract. I’m thinking a little less since Cleveland declined the option on the $10 million he would have made next year, and he cleared waivers. But for this little exercise, let’s use that figure.

Hand will be 31 in March of next year. He’s a left-handed reliever who has been remarkably consistent. Before this year’s shortened season (1.37 ERA), he’s had ERAs between 3.23 and 2.80 for the past 5 years. In those 5 years, he has 103 saves.

In 2020 had that 1.37 ERA in 23 games, 16 saves. In 22 innings, he allowed 13 hits, 0 home runs, 4 saves, and 29 strikeouts. That is not a bad way to go into free agency. Well, other than the downturn that player salaries may be taking this winter.

His velocity was down a bit this season, but he was still striking out everyone. He had a platoon split, RHB hit him for a .502 OPS, lefties for a .347, but there isn’t anyone that’s going to complain about a .502 OPS from a closer.

The Blue Jays have many potential bullpen arms, but I wouldn’t mind having someone like Hand ready for the 9th inning. He is a 1 inning pitcher. As much as I like guys who could get you 2 innings now and then (or like every time out), Hand went 1.1 innings once this season. In 2019 he did go 2 innings once.