With the baseball non trading deadline months away, NY Sports Day has learned the New York Mets are seeking relief help in the bullpen and in the hunt for San Diego Padres lefthanded closer Brad Hand.
The Washington Nationals, according to a source close to the situation, has also confirmed they are in the hunt for Hand. It makes sense, as the Nationals have been seeking an answer to help out of the ‘pen with late game situations.
Of course, the Mets are without the services of righthander Jeurys Familia and it is not known how long his recovery and rehab will take towards a return after surgery to remove a blood clot.
Hand pitched against the Mets at Citi Field last week and recorded his second save of the season. His two saves have come against the Mets and in 26 games is 1-3 with 1.76 ERA along with 39 strikeouts in 30-2/3rd innings.
The source said talks with the Padres and Mets were just that. There was no confirmation about players involved if the trade were to be made.
The same situation exists with the Nationals though with the two teams as the only viable contenders in the NL East, and both seeking a closer, Hand would be an option.
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