Mets Still Kicking The Tires On Former Indians Reliever Brad Hand

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Depending on who you believe, the New York Mets are either very close to wrapping up a deal with former Cleveland Indians closer Brad Hand, or they are not really even in the running.

According to SNY, there's been conflicting reports about Hand and whether he wants to make the move to the Big Apple.

Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic first reported that the two sides were "close" to getting a deal done, then he went back and said that the two sides were not close at all.








Hand is the best free agent reliever still on the market. Last season, he went 2-1 with a 2.05 ERA, putting up a MLB best 16 saves.

He was with the Indians the last two and a half seasons after Cleveland made a deal for his services with the San Diego Padres in the middle of the 2018 season.

Hand became Cleveland's closer in 2019, and in his time with the Indians, he made 58 saves, going 8-6 with an impressive 2.78 ERA. However, Cleveland couldn't afford Hand, and declined a player option for the 2021 season that would have paid him $10 million.

While Hand and the Mets are not close to getting a deal done, the two sides remain interested, according to reports.







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Matt has been a part of the Cleveland Sports landscape working in the media since 1994 when he graduated from broadcasting school. His coverage beats include the Cleveland Indians, Cleveland Browns and Cleveland Cavaliers. He's written three books, and won the "2020 AP Sports Stringer Lifetime Service Award."