Brad Hand trade example of why relievers are a commodity
By Zach Houle
The Cleveland Indians made a splash when they acquired Brad Hand and Adam Cimber.
Cleveland needed to make a move due to the fact that they have one of the worst bullpens in the MLB. They paid a hefty price in the form of top catching prospect Francisco Mejia. With that said, the Indians got two dominant and controllable relievers to secure the bullpen. If this club wants to go deep in October, this was a necessary move to make.
Over the past couple years, relievers have played a huge role in building a championship ballclub. The value and price for these bullpen players have skyrocketed to new highs. This recent trade is a perfect example of the value of these guys. Mejia is no pushover when it comes to his potential. He is the No. 15 prospect in the top 100 best prospects in the MLB according to MLB.com.
He is 22 years old and is basically MLB ready, and is a great get for the San Diego Padres. Also, his offense is good from both sides of the plate. His cannon of an arm will cut down runners with acute accuracy. For the Padres, Austin Hedges is still the everyday catcher, but that could change in the near future.
On the Indians end, the club got two controllable assets to be anchors in the bullpen. We all know who Brad Hand is, a southpaw who has dominated since getting his chance with the Padres. He signed a 3-year/ 19.75 million dollar contract with a $10M club option for 2021 with a $1M buyout. But the name a lot of people aren’t familiar with is Adam Cimber, who has 6 years of team control.
The right-hander has been dominant this season in 49 innings, tossing a 3.12 ERA with a 9.37 K/9. He isn’t a guy who saves games, so he doesn’t get the recognition he deserves. Good for Cleveland picking him up in this trade, as they badly needed to take action in the bullpen. With that said, will this vault the Indians back into the World Series conversation?
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Yes, because they just addressed their biggest weakness. There will be doubters considering the Houston Astros didn’t have a great bullpen and they still won it all, but that was due to their offense and starting pitching. Cleveland has all that now too, and they are better prepared than they were a week ago to chase the title that the club just missed in 2016 to the Chicago Cubs.