Yankees Rumors: Being linked to Padres reliever Brad Hand

Less than 24 hours since it was deemed that starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery needs Tommy John surgery, a rumor involving reliever Brad Hand to the Yankees has sprung up.

A dominant bullpen. It was one of, if not the primary catalysts behind the 2017 Yankees march to Game 7 of the ALCS.

Since losing to the would-be World Champion Astros last fall, a lot has changed. An influx of rookie talent has propelled the Yanks to a 39-18 record, where they sit just one game back of the Red Sox for first place in the AL East.

Aside from consistent dominating efforts from staff ace Luis Severino, the other four Yankees starters are shaky at best — which has put a ton of pressure on the bullpen, causing injuries (Adam Warren and Tommy Khanle) and a drop off in production compared to ’17 (David Robertson and Dellin Betances).

Even still, first-year manager Aaron Boone continues to rack up wins (most recently against ESPN), and will now look to GM Brian Cashman to reinforce the team’s pitching staff. But what if he were to shun the super expensive cost of a starter and instead, acquire a dominant reliever?

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That’s the possibility Jim Bowden of The Athletic wrote about on Tuesday. According to Bowden:

"The Yankees have the most power of any team in baseball, with arguably the best and deepest bullpen in the game. However, their one glaring need is in their starting rotation where they could use a No. 2-type starter after ace Luis Severino at the top of their rotation. Cole Hamels, Michael Fulmer, Brad Hand and Chris Archer are already names being bandied in the industry as possible targets."

Each of the starters listed by Bowden come with their own list of question marks.

Michael Fulmer, though just 25, had a worrisome right elbow issue this past offseason which may have attributed to his poor start; 2-5, 4.73 ERA, 1.365 WHIP and 55:25 K:BB ratio in 66.2 innings pitched. The Tigers currently sit in second-place in the AL Central at 29-33, so saying Fulmer pitches for a bad team doesn’t carry the same type of weight as it did in 2017.

The same can be said for the Tampa Bay Rays, who at 28-31, have far exceeded expectations after trading away many of its veteran players. Yet, Chris Archer, who is currently on the 10-day DL with a groin injury is 3-4 with 4.24 ERA, 1.336 WHIP and 76:26 K:BB ratio in 76 innings.

Cole Hamels is the other starter named by Bowden, and if the Yankees could acquire him for prospects Chance Adams and Thairo Estrada, as Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports suggested last week, that would be a steal.

However, with Montgomery out for the season (and more), the 29 other MLB teams know what the Yanks need, and will not be in a hurry to give them any sort of discount.

Which is why, trading for a relief pitcher such a Brad Hand, one that can bridge the gap from the starters to closer Aroldis Chapman, may be the way Cashman looks to go. It’s precisely what he did last season when he acquired Robertson and Kahnle for the postseason push.

Hand, who let’s not forget, closes out games for the last-place Padres (28-35), is a sure-fire All-Star, recently winning the National League Reliever of the Month Award for May.

During May, the 28-year-old allowed just one earned run on six hits across 14.2 innings. Hand struck out a whopping 22 batters while keeping the opposition to a minuscule .120 BAA and .461 OPS.

After signing a three-year, $19.75 million extension this past offseason, Hand is owed a little over $1.5 million the rest of this campaign (keeping the Yanks well under the luxury tax) and $14 million from 2019-20. His contract includes a $10 million option in 2021 or a $1 million club-controlled buyout.

This isn’t the first time the Yankees have been linked to Hand; as rumors first began to circulate last summer. Hand would provide the Yanks something they’ve been missing since trading Andrew Miller to the Indians — a shutdown lefty to alleviate pressure off of Aroldis Chapman.

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Though Hand may not be what most fans want, he’s dynamic and will cost a whole lot less in terms of prospects than a starter would. With the Astros and Red Sox likely in the market for a late-inning arm like Hand, beating them to the punch shouldn’t be taken lightly.

For the faction of supporters calling out for the likes of Madison Bumgarner, there’s no doubt the Giants would require at least three top 10 prospects. And if the past 18 months or so have taught us anything, it’s that the Yankees aren’t going to sell the farm for anyone.