The Philadelphia Phillies might be the sole frontrunners to land Pittsburgh Pirates closer Richard Rodriguez now.
On Thursday morning, news broke that the Toronto Blues, rumored to be the biggest competition for the Phillies in the bid to get Rodriguez, are instead getting Brad Hand from the Washington Nationals.
The Jays will send Triple-A catcher Riley Adams to the Nationals in return.
Update: A deal to send Brad Hand to the Blue Jays is finished, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. The selling begins for Washington.
— Jesse Dougherty (@dougherty_jesse) July 29, 2021
Hand has been struggling lately, including giving up a walk-off home run to Andrew McCutchen in the first game of the ongoing Phillies-Nationals series this week, but he’s still one of the most effective arms on a barren trade market. In 41 games this season, he has a 3.59 ERA and 21 saves. In 2020, he led all of MLB with 16 saves (shortened season, remember?) in his third and final season with Cleveland.
The Blue Jays are getting a three-time All-Star in Hand, who has a 3.17 ERA and 71 saves over 124 appearances between 2019-2021.
Will the Phillies trade for Richard Rodriguez now?
The Phillies have yet to make a move this week, though it’s not for lack of trying. They were set to acquire starter Tyler Anderson, also from the Pirates, in exchange for two prospects, but the deal fell through.
You have to wonder if the fallout from the Anderson trade will prevent the Phillies from acquiring Rodriguez, too. According to MLB Insider Jayson Stark, the Phillies are ‘ticked off‘ by how the Anderson debacle played out. Late Tuesday night, the Seattle Mariners announced that they would be acquiring Anderson instead, leaving the Phils high and dry.
The Phillies still need rotation help, but they also desperately need bullpen help; that’s where Rodriguez comes in.
Over 37 games this season, Rodriguez has a 2.82 ERA, has closed 33 games, and has 14 saves. He’s struck out 33 batters over 38 1/3 innings and has an appealingly-low 1.2 BB/9 ratio for the Phillies, whose pitchers are issuing far too many walks. In fact, Rodriguez has only walked five men all season.
He’s struggled in July due to a pair of bad appearances, but Rodriguez has been excellent overall this year. He also comes with the ever-appealing club control that teams crave nowadays. He’s only making $1.7 million this season and has two years of arbitration left that won’t cost a team too much.
Rodriguez is a much more affordable option for the Phillies than Hand is for the Jays. According to new reports, the trade doesn’t involve cash considerations, meaning Toronto is taking on Hand’s $10.5 million salary for the season, including $6.5 million in deferred money. Dave Dombrowski has stated that the Phillies are prepared to go over the luxury tax threshold for the first time in franchise history, but Rodriguez wouldn’t even move that needle.
All eyes on you, Phillies.