The Dodgers Should use Alex Verdugo to Acquire Brad Hand

The Dodgers bullpen has been pitching better over the course of the last month.  The one thing the bullpen still lacks is a shutdown eighth-inning setup man to get the ball to Kenley Jansen.

The Dodgers bullpen has had a nice turnaround since late May.  The Dodgers currently rank tenth in MLB when it comes to bullpen ERA.  The Dodgers main inning of trouble has been the seventh inning where they have an ERA of 4.26 which ranks them 17th in the majors.

If the Dodgers were to acquire a shutdown eighth-inning setup man then that would allow them to shift their more effective relievers like Josh Fields and Tony Cingrani (when healthy) to a seventh-inning role.  The trickle-down effect would strengthen the bullpen and also keep the bullpen strong on days that Kenley Jansen is unable to pitch.  The Dodgers would also be more willing to give more rest to Jansen if they acquired a shutdown setup man.

The setup man that the Dodgers should target is Brad Hand.  Despite losing Sunday’s game, Hand is having another solid season for the Padres posting a 2.82 ERA and 1.02 WHIP.  This season, Brad Hand has held opposing hitters to a .176 average and he has rendered lefties useless holding them to a .068 batting average.

The best part about potentially acquiring Brad Hand is that he is under control for three more seasons at a reasonable rate of 7 million for 2019, 7.5 million in 2020, and a club option for 10 million in 2021.  While there are a good amount of relievers in this winter’s free agency, relievers tend to be volatile and signing relievers is a very risky business.  Just ask the Colorado Rockies who spent over 100 million on Wade Davis, Bryan Shaw, and Jake McGee, and currently rank dead last in the majors with a bullpen ERA of 5.56.

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Completing a trade for Brad Hand is going to be tough since the Padres are going to ask for a lot especially since the Dodgers are an NL West foe.  The Dodgers can entice the Padres to give up Hand by dealing away Alex Verdugo.  The Padres have asked for Verdugo in past seasons when the Dodgers showed interest in Hand.  Verdugo is a young MLB ready outfielder who can start for the Padres for years to come.  Along with Verdugo, the Dodgers would probably have to add another prospect like Yadier Alvarez.

Alex Verdugo is a very solid prospect, but he is unlikely to ever be a top tier player.  Alex Verdugo has little to no power as he has hit just 37 home runs in five-plus seasons.  Verdugo is great at avoiding the strikeout and he plays good defense with an excellent arm but the Dodgers have too many outfielders so Verdugo is expendable.  Matt Kemp is signed for next season along with Yasiel Puig, and the Dodgers still have Joc Pederson and Chris Taylor.

In the minor leagues, the Dodgers feature eight outfield prospects in their top 30 prospects, including three others in their top ten in DJ Peters, Yusniel Diaz, and Jeren Kendall.  The Dodgers also have Andrew Toles in Triple-A who is capable of being a solid corner outfielder.  That doesn’t even factor in free agency which the Dodgers will have loads of money coming off the books after next season with Rich Hill and Matt Kemp freeing up close to forty million combined.

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The Dodgers rotation problems are starting to dissipate with the return of Clayton Kershaw and Rich Hill.  Walker Buehler should follow sometime in the next few weeks and Julio Urias will be an option after July along with Hyun-Jin Ryu.  The Dodgers most glaring weakness for the remainder of the season and potentially the postseason is the lack of a true setup man.  The Dodgers could really strengthen their pen by acquiring Brad Hand and if it takes Alex Verdugo, that is a trade worth making.