The Mets claimed veteran left-hander Brad Hand off waivers Thursday. The 31-year old is the former closer of the Washington Nationals.
Hand recorded 21 saves for the Nationals before he was dealt to the Toronto Blue Jays at the trade deadline. However, in 11 games with the Jays, he struggled to find his groove and posted a 7.27 ERA (earned run average).
Toronto saw enough and designated him for assignment. With the Mets making a push for the playoffs this month, adding Hand’s experience to the bullpen hopes to payoff.
For team president Sandy Alderson, the interest level in adding the reliever to the Mets has been there for awhile.
If the Mets do reach the postseason, because he was acquired after August 31, Hand won’t be eligible to participate.
With all that’s gone wrong this week for the Mets off the field, and there’s been plenty, here’s an attempt to also get the focus back to baseball.
