Yankees: 3 free agents to sign and 1 to avoid this offseason

Avoid signing Brad Hand

The Indians surprised a lot of people around MLB when they decided to pay Hand $1 million to leave rather than keep him for $10 million. He was an effective closer for Cleveland last season, but the decline of his velocity and other pitching peripherals make him a poor gamble for a team looking to upgrade their bullpen in the future.

Even under the best of circumstances, paying big-money for bullpen help in free agency is typically inefficient business. The Yankees understand that given the albatross that is Adam Ottavino’s current contract. The team desperately needs to avoid making that kind of mistake with Hand this year.

Any reliever New York chooses to sign in free agency should only be given a one-year deal. The performance of bullpen arms is too inconsistent on an annual basis to justify a multi-year deal. Hand and his representatives will be looking for job security after the ugly end to their time in Cleveland. Cashman must make sure he doesn’t overcommit to a veteran reliever like Hand just because the market might lean in that direction.

Fortunately for the Yankees, their bullpen doesn’t project to have a lot of open spots to fill ahead of the 2021 season. That should prevent Cashman from being tempted into giving an arm like Hand a deal they can’t live up to.