Blue Jays Acquire LHP Brad Hand

Toronto traded catcher Riley Adams to the for Washington Nationals reliever Brand Hand

Mitch Bannon | Jul 29, 2021

Scott Taetsch-USA TODAY Sports

The trading has begun.

With just over 24 hours until the 2021 MLB Trade Deadline, the Toronto Blue Jays have acquired left-handed reliever Brad Hand from the Washington Nationals. Washington Post's Jesse Dougherty was the first to report the transaction, which has now been confirmed by the team.

In return, the Blue Jays have sent catching prospect Riley Adams, the No. 16 prospect in Toronto's system, per MLB.com.

Update: A deal to send Brad Hand to the Blue Jays is finished, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. The selling begins for Washington.
— Jesse Dougherty (@dougherty_jesse) July 29, 2021

A free agent at the end of the season, Hand has registered 21 saves for the Nationals this season. In 42.2 innings, the lefty has a 3.59 ERA, 4.33 FIP, and a 1.148 WHIP. After years of one of the highest strikeout rates in the big leagues, hand's K/9 has dropped to just 8.9 this season.

Hand was a member of the All-MLB Second Team last season, and the Blue Jays made an attempt to sign the reliever in the offseason, per Jon Heyman. With a clear need at the back of the bullpen, Toronto made their fourth RP acquisition of the season, after trading for Jacob Barnes, Adam Cimber, and Trevor Richards earlier this month.

Heading back to the Nationals is catching prospect Adams, who had a .107 batting average in 30 MLB plate appearances this season. After a brief but unsuccessful MLB debut, Adams was sent back to Triple-A Buffalo, and found himself in a catching logjam. Toronto has MLB catchers Reese McGuire, Danny Jansen, and Alejandro Kirk as well as top prospect Gabriel Moreno recovering from thumb surgery in Double-A.

On July 17th, Hand's ERA was 2.43. In his last six games, he's allowed seven runs to bump his earned run average up to 3.59. The Jays are hoping to slide him into the back end of their rotation, and right his season after a recent rough stretch.

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