Padres sign Brad Hand to 3-year extension

The Padres and lefty reliever Brad Hand have agreed to a three-year, $19.75 million extension, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and FanRag’s Jon Heyman. The deal includes a club option for the 2021 season valued at $10 million (with a $1 million buyout).

Hand was slated to become a free agent after the 2019 season, so his new deal gives the Padres an extra guaranteed deal and the opportunity to keep him for two additional seasons. If the option is picked up, Hand will enter free agency entering his age-32 season, giving him another chance to cash in.

Hand has been the subject of constant trade rumors throughout the last year, though today’s news seems to signal that he’ll be a major part of the Padres’ staff moving forward. In 2018, he’ll continue to anchor a bullpen that recently added Japanese reliever Kazuhisa Makita to a group that already includes Kirby Yates, Craig Stammen and Jose Torres.

Hand, who turns 28 in March, worked to a 2.16 ERA while saving 21 games in 79.1 innings for San Diego in 2017. A former starter with the Marlins, Hand has been excellent in relief for the Padres over the last two years, owning a 2.56 ERA and 3.05 FIP in 154 appearances.

Hand joins Wil Myers, who signed a six-year, $83 million extension last winter, as Padres who are locked in for the long-term. San Diego is expected to be a force in free agency in the coming years, with Eric Hosmer among the club’s main targets this winter.