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The Boston Red Sox are exceeding expectations to kick off the 2024 season, bringing a winning record into their home opener thanks in large part to a pitching staff that has emerged as one of the best in baseball.
But that staff has one significant roster issue: there is just a single southpaw available in the relief corps, Joely Rodríguez, and he has struggled so far. To address this gap, Zachary Rymer of Bleacher Report has listed three-time All-Star Brad Hand as a free-agent signing that the Red Sox should make “ASAP.”
“At his peak between 2016 and 2020, Brad Hand was a three-time All-Star who pitched to a 2.70 ERA and struck out 12.2 batters per nine innings,” Rymer noted. “Joely Rodríguez is the only southpaw in Boston’s bullpen, however, and opposing batters are 4-for-13 with a walk and a home run against him. The Red Sox thus need to be considering additional options, including signing Hand.”
Despite Struggles, Reliever Brad Hand Has Been Effective Against Lefties
Despite an impressive resume that includes a 3.75 career ERA, 132 saves and 782 strikeouts in 13 big-league seasons, Hand struggled in 2023. Over the offseason, the Atlanta Braves declined his $7 million mutual option and bought him out for $500,000 after he pitched for a 7.50 ERA in 20 games for the club following a trade from the Colorado Rockies.
“Hand was 5-3 with a 5.53 ERA overall in 60 games (in 2023),” according to the Associated Press. “The 13-year big league veteran is 40-55 with a 3.75 ERA in 43 starts and 536 relief appearances for the Marlins (2011-15), San Diego (2016-18), Cleveland (2018-20), Washington (2021), the New York Mets (2021), Toronto (2021), Philadelphia (2022), Colorado and Atlanta.”
But there’s reason to believe that he can still perform as an effective option against left-handed hitting.
“Even throughout last season, however, Hand continued to silence left-handed batters to the tune of a .200 average and a .583 OPS,” Rymer noted. “They couldn’t handle his sweeper, batting .170 against it with 22 strikeouts in 47 at-bats.”
The Boston Red Sox Might Now Become Buyers on the 2024 Season
Though it’s still early, the Red Sox front office might see a more likely path to the playoffs emerging, pushing it to take a relatively risk-free chance on Hand.
The team has produced in the middle of the MLB pack in most hitting categories, but the pitching staff is leading all teams with a 1.49 ERA and it’s in the top three with 105 strikeouts and six saves.
“They’re coming home with the best pitching staff in baseball,” Gabe Lacques wrote for USA Today. “Boston easily leads the majors with a 1.49 ERA (Cleveland is second at 2.28), with the starting staff of Brayan Bello, Garrett Whitlock, Kutter Crawford, Nick Pivetta and Tanner Houch combining for a 1.53 ERA, an apparently rousing endorsement of new pitching coach Andrew Bailey.”
If the Red Sox can solidify the bullpen behind these surging starters, they may be able to maintain their strong start well into the season. And Bailey might be just the kind of guru Hand needs to return to his All-Star form, or at least trend in that direction against lefties.
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