Trade talk may disrupt All-Star joy
Machado, Hand, others could be dealt soon
Bob Nightengale
PHOENIX — Just six months ago, All-Star reliever Brad Hand signed a contract extension that changed his life, providing financial security to his family, becoming an integral cog of the Padres’ future.
A week before the All-Star Game, Hand has no idea where his future will take him, wondering whether he will still be wearing a San Diego uniform by the time he’s honored as an All-Star on July 17. And if not, will his new employers be the Red Sox, Yankees or defending World Series champion Astros?
Hand is among a handful of AllStars who could be be wearing a generic jersey by game time July 17. He joins shortstop Manny Machado of the Orioles, catcher Wilson Ramos of the Rays, starter J.A. Happ of the Blue Jays, second baseman Scooter Gennett of the Reds and first baseman Jose Abreu of the White Sox, all who are trade targets.
No target might be as marketable as Hand, who has a team-friendly contract and 24 saves with 64 strikeouts in 421⁄ innings. He was scouted by
3 nearly 10 clubs, including the Red Sox over the weekend, who badly covet the man the Marlins gave up on two years ago.
“I’m sure it will heat up here,” Hand told USA TODAY. “Teams looking to go to the playoffs are always looking for bullpen help. And I feel like if you’re not on a winning team, they’re always willing to give up whoever they want.
“It’s a good thing you’re being talked
about, but I would love to be part of a World Series team here. Come up with a young group of guys and win a World Series like (Eric) Hosmer did in Kansas City.
“But it is what it is. At the end of the day, there’s nothing you can do about it anyways.”
Then again, now that Hand thinks about it, he might have sealed his own fate six months ago. That is when he signed a three-year, $19.75 million contract extension, giving the Padres, or any team that potentially trades for him, control of him through 2021. He already received a $1.75 million signing bonus and is scheduled to earn $3.5 million this season, $6.5 million in 2019, $7 million in 2020 with a $10 million option or a $1 million buyout in 2021.
“You can look at it from both sides,” Hand said. “It’s like you signed a longterm deal to stay in San Diego or you just increased your trade value by adding more years of control.
“Obviously, I have more value now, because instead of teams having control of me for one year, now it’s possibly for three years.”
It’s drastically different for the seven teams in the Machado sweepstakes. The winner controls him only through the season, though it would have exclusive negotiating rights until early November.
Machado strictly is a rental, unless you happen to have $400 million burning a hole in your checking account in hopes of keeping him away from the Yankees in the offseason.
Machado, only the fourth player in history to make the All-Star team as a shortstop and a third baseman, realizes he might not even be wearing an Orioles uniform at this time next week.
Machado badly wants to play in the All-Star Game, but if he’s traded to the Dodgers or another National League team before the game, he could be ineligible.
It’s similar to what happened to Jeff Samardzija, who was named to the 2014 NL All-Star Game for the Cubs, only to be traded days before the game to the Athletics. He was relegated to wearing a generic All-Star Game jersey and cap.
While trades around the All-Star Game are inevitable, the conditions are particularly ripe this year. The July 17 game is the latest on the calendar since the 1979 game was held on July 19.
And 14 teams are already at least 10 games out of first place, with Machado’s Orioles a staggering 24-65 going into Monday.
“Hopefully I put on that (Orioles) jersey,” Machado told reporters Sunday after his All-Star selection. “If not, I’m always going to be grateful no matter what. … There’s been a lot of talks and a lot of things going on, but who knows what will happen at the end of the day. Things could change, or I could probably stay here for a lot longer, for more than a couple weeks to come. Who knows?”
Well, if Machado is still wearing an Orioles uniform on Aug. 1, Major League Baseball better hurry and administer drug tests to that Orioles front office.
Machado will definitely be traded, likely to Los Angeles. So will Happ, who appears destined for the Yankees, even after a poor start against them Saturday. Ramos, a natural fit to reunite with the Nationals, is also expected to be switching teams.
Then again, Hand figured he’d be dealt a year ago, too. Padres general manager A.J. Preller even sat him down before the deadline and laid out the scenarios.
It wasn’t until Padres manager Andy Green’s text on July 31 that he knew he was staying put.
Now, here he is, same time, next year. “He’s unbelievable the way he’s han- dled it,” Green said. “None of that stuff affects him, which is impressive, because it would sure affect me if I was in that situation. He’s got the right temperament for it.
“He wants to build a winner here in San Diego. That’s where his head and heart are. But if that opportunity came, he knows how the game works.”
Yes indeed, while Hand and his peers will be forever remembered as All-Stars in 2018, trying to recall what team they were representing years from now might be quite another challenge.
“Last year, I sat by my phone waiting to see what was going to happen,” Hand says. “My wife would ask me daily what was going to happen. You just have no idea. I’ve been talked about for a year and a half now, but I’m still here. “I guess we’ll see how long it lasts.” Join the club.