The Rockies found a veteran to plug a hole in their bullpen, signing left-hander Brad Hand to a one-year contract Saturday.
The 32-old-old three-time All-Star agreed to a $2 million contract, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported. Another $1 million bonus is available for Hand if he is still with the Rockies organization on opening day.
Hand takes the place of Lucas Gilbreath, who’s slated to undergo Tommy John surgery after re-aggravating an elbow injury in spring training.
“Hand is a veteran left-handed pitcher who has had success in the league,” general manager Bill Schmidt said. “We are looking for him to help us later in the game.”
Hand pitched effectively last season for Philadelphia on a one-year, $6 million contract, going 3-2 with five saves and a 2.80 ERA over 55 appearances. Left-handed batters hit just .217 against him, while right-handed batters posted a .226 average.
A second-round pick of the Marlins in 2008, the Minneapolis native has compiled 131 saves and a 3.62 ERA over a 12-season career that’s included stops with Miami (2011-15), San Diego (2016-18), Cleveland (2018-20), Washington (2021), New York Yankees (2021), Toronto (2021) and the Phillies last season. His 129 saves between 2017-’22 are the seventh most in MLB.
During the offseason, Colorado claimed left-hander Brent Suter off waivers from Milwaukee and then signed him to a one-year, $3 million deal.
To make room for Hand, the Rockies placed right-handed reliever Tyler Kinley on the 60-day injured list. Kinley pitched extremely well last season, posting a 0.75 ERA in 25 games, before undergoing surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. Kinley will miss the first half of the season.
