TRIBE TRADES FOR RELIEVERS HAND AND CIMBER
The Cleveland Indians acquired pitchers Brad Hand and Adam Cimber from the San Diego Padres for catcher Francisco Mejia.
What does it give the Cleveland Guardians
The Indians were fairly desperate to add bullpen help before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, so they decided to get their shopping done early. Hand is a quality left-hander who may share closing duties with right-hander Cody Allen with Cleveland. Andrew Miller, who is currently on the disabled list, is also in the mix. As for Cimber, he should provide solid relief work as either a setup man or middle reliever (or perhaps both). This move solidifies Cleveland's bullpen, though it came at a hefty price in Mejia.
What does it give the San Diego Padres
The Padres decided to take advantage of their quality bullpen to land a top catching prospect in Mejia, a switch-hitter with power and the potential for offensive greatness from the backstop position. He is not nearly as good defensively as he is at the dish but San Diego is desperate for offensive upgrades and may have to sacrifice Austin Hedges' excellent defense behind the plate for Mejia's bat. With Hand gone, right-hander Kirby Yates should take over closing duties for the Padres. This was a good move for both teams, but especially for San Diego.
Fantasy impact
Mejia's fantasy stock remains steady. On the one hand, moving from the Indians to the Padres is a downgrade because of spacious PETCO Park in San Diego, but on the other hand Mejia's path to MLB is not nearly as blocked anymore as a Padre. He should be picked up immediately in any league he is available in, and should be an early pick in most keeper leagues in 2019. Hand's save chances may increase, but competition for saves is also greater with Cleveland than in San Diego, so his stock remains steady as well. Cimber's stock should climb moving to a contender in Cleveland.
