Braves bolster bullpen by trading for three-time All-Star

The Atlanta Braves are collecting arms for October.

Robert Murray of FanSided reported Tuesday that Atlanta is getting lefty reliever Brad Hand in a trade with the Colorado Rockies. In return, the Rockies will receive Alec Barger, a righty pitching prospect in Double-A.

Hand, 33, is a three-time MLB All-Star who led the AL in saves when he was with Cleveland in 2020. He has not gotten too many high-leverage opportunites this season with the 42-64 Rockies (3-1 with a 4.54 ERA in more of a setup role), but Hand is still striking out batters at a substantial rate (10.3 Ks per nine innings) and has plenty of playoff experience (most recently last season in the World Series with the Philadelphia Phillies).

The Braves, an MLB-leading 67-37, have virtually been working with an all-righty bullpen up to this point. The addition of Hand gives them a seasoned situational option to deploy against lefty hitters. It also continues what has been a quietly savvy trade deadline for Atlanta.