The Phillies bullpen is coming together. Reports this morning indicate that Brad Hand has agreed to a one-year, $6 million contract to come to Philadelphia. Bullpen options were a bit scarce on the free agent market, and Hand was considered to be one of the best available options left on the table.

Brad Hand has pitched 11 years in the majors, throwing for three different teams in 2021. He started off last season with the Washington Nationals but was dealt to the Toronto Blue Jays after appearing in just 41 games in D.C.

Hand could never find his groove with the Blue Jays, tallying a 7.27 ERA in just 11 games with the team. He was DFA’d after just 8.2 innings, and later picked up by the Mets. 

The Mets took a chance on the left-hander, and he looked like a completely different pitcher during the second half of the year. He threw 16 games out of the pen for New York, tallying a 2.70 ERA. Hand threw a SO/9 ratio of 9.5, throwing just 13.1 innings with the Mets. He allowed just one home run, and 12 hits in a short time in NY.

With the current state of the Phillies bullpen, Brad Hand is going to be a left-handed arm that can get outs, something that the Phillies didn’t have at all last season.

The Phillies have now added Corey Knebel, Jeurys Familia, and Hand to a bullpen that blew a National Leage leading 34 saves last season. If the goal was to upgrade their bullpen, it looks like the organization is doing just that, regardless of how big those upgrades may be.

After the signing of Brad Hand, the Phillies have approximately $33 million left to spend without going over the luxury tax.

Mandatory Credit: Getty Images