BREAKING: Braves are acquiring LHP Brad Hand from Colorado Rockies

The Braves are moving minor league pitcher Alec Barger in the trade.

The Atlanta Braves have continued to bolster their bullpen by reaching a deal with the Colorado Rockies for left-handed reliever Brad Hand, per reports. 

Trade: The Atlanta Braves are acquiring left-hander Brad Hand from the Colorado Rockies, according to a source familiar with the deal. Alec Barger goes to the Rockies.

— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) August 1, 2023

The team has not yet confirmed the trade. UPDATE: The team has now confirmed the trade via twitter.

Hand, 33, signed a one year, $1.5M deal with Colorado in the off-season that features a $7M team option for 2024 with a $500k buyout. A notable commonality for Atlanta in their reliever trades is an additional year of control. 

Hand's 3-1 with a 4.74 ERA in his 40 appearances this season, covering 35.2 innings. He's struck out 41 and walked 16 this season. He had an ERA in the mid-3s before two back-to-back  blowups to open July - four runs in an inning against Detroit and two runs in an inning and a third against San Francisco - that raised his ERA by a run and a half. 

Hand's a well-traveled veteran, having previously played for eight previous organizations, including every other team in the National League East. It's believed he'll be the first player to suit up for all five teams in the division in MLB history, so save that fact for your next game of "Immaculate Grid". 

Going to the Rockies in the deal is minor-league pitcher Alec Barger. A 17th-round pick in the 2019 MLB Draft, he is 3-2 with a 3.29 ERA for AA Mississippi. He's appeared in thirty games, all in relief, with 48 strikeouts in 38.1 innings of work. 

This move adds depth to the Braves bullpen, which will come in handy when the team makes the push into the 2023 postseason. It's entirely possible the way this plays out is similar to Atlanta's acquisition of Richard Rodriguez from the Pirates in 2021 - he didn't play in the postseason, but the twenty-six innings he pitched over the final two months of the season saved the Braves' higher-leverage arms for the postseason, where "The Night Shift" was crucial towards the 2021 World Series championship.  

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