The Cleveland Indians are one of several teams that are in need of bullpen help as we inch closer to the July 31 trade deadline, and they managed to acquire some on Thursday.
According to Ken Rosenthal and Robert Murray of The Athletic, the San Diego Padres have traded relief pitchers Brad Hand and Adam Cimber to Cleveland.
Brad Hand to #Indians, sources tell me and @ByRobertMurray.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 19, 2018
Source: #Indians acquiring Adam Cimber from #Padres along with Hand.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 19, 2018
Catcher Francisco Mejia headed to #Padres, sources tell me and @ByRobertMurray.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 19, 2018
Hand and Cimber are massive gets for #Indians, reshaping their entire bullpen. Mejia, heading to #Padres, is one of the top catching prospects in the game.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 19, 2018
Hand has established himself as one of the best relievers in baseball over the past few seasons, and the left-hander has converted 24 saves in 29 opportunities for the last-place Padres this year. He has an ERA of 3.05 after posting a career-best 2.16 ERA in 79 appearances in 2017. Cimber has a 3.17 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 48 1/3 innings in his first big league season.
The Indians had reportedly been discussing relief pitching with at least one other team, and it’s possible they could add another bullpen arm over the next two weeks.
