Blue Jays Acquire Brad Hand From Nationals

Today, the Blue Jays made a move to shore up their bullpen and position themselves for a stretch run.

It was announced this morning that Toronto would be acquiring left-handed reliever Brad Hand from the Nationals in exchange for catching prospect Riley Adams, Toronto’s No. 17 prospect.

Toronto had previously acquired Adam Cimber from the Marlins, so this move will surely give them some extra insurance in their bullpen and help them make a push for the second AL Wild Card, a spot in which the Blue Jays are back 4.5 games, as opposed to 10.5 in the AL East, which is looking very much like a two-horse race with Boston and Tampa Bay.

In 41 games as a closer with the Washington, Brad Hand went 5-5 with 21 saves and a 3.59 ERA over 42.2 innings pitched despite recent struggles over his last seven games.

With the Nationals falling out of contention, it became clear that a sale was on the horizon. They sit seven games back of the first place New York Mets in the NL East. Atlanta and Philadelphia stand in the way as well. They sit 10.5 games behind San Diego for the second NL Wild Card.

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