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The Padres are open for business in trade talks and have lefty Brad Hand available, according to Buster Olney of ESPN.com.
The Padres, who currently sit last in the majors with a 16-31 record, will once again be sellers at the trade deadline despite not having many pieces to deal. Hand, and fellow pitchers Trevor Cahill and Ryan Buchter appear to be the strongest candidates to be dealt considering the team’s dreadful performance across the board this season.
Hand, 27, owns a career-best 1.80 ERA and 11.9 K/9 through 25 innings for the Padres this year. He pitched to a respectable 2.92 ERA in 89.1 innings last season and is under team control through the 2019 season.
Though the trade market is dormant at the moment due to teams focusing on next month’s draft, talks are sure to pick up as the calendar turns to June and teams begin to assess where they will be at the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline. Teams looking for lefty bullpen help such as the Astros and Red Sox could be in the market for someone like Hand, who has quietly been one of San Diego’s best players throughout the first two months of the season.