Padres trade All-Star Hand, Cimber to Indians for Mejia

The Cleveland Indians have acquired a pair of relievers in left-hander Brad Hand and right-hander Adam Cimber from the San Diego Padres in exchange for catcher Francisco Mejia, the team announced Thursday.

Hand, 28, has served as the Padres' primary closer for the past two seasons. Through 41 appearances this season, he owns a 3.05 ERA and 3.17 FIP, notching 27 saves.

The Padres signed Hand to a three-year contract extension this past offseason, which includes a team option for the 2021 campaign. Over the next three seasons, the two-time All-Star is guaranteed just over $15.5 million.

The 27-year-old Cimber is in his debut campaign with San Diego and is posting a 3.17 ERA and 2.32 FIP over 48 1/3 innings.

The pair of relievers joins a Cleveland bullpen that has been worth minus-0.9 WAR collectively, by FanGraphs' metrics. The Indians are one of three teams to have a bullpen below replacement level, along with the New York Mets and Kansas City Royals.

Mejia, the top catching prospect and No. 15 farmhand in baseball, has not been given ample opportunity at the major-league level, logging just 18 plate appearances. In 79 games with Triple-A Columbus, he possesses a .279/.328/.426 slash line with seven home runs.

Mejia joins a stacked Padres farm system, which now boasts 10 of the top 100 prospects in baseball. The 22-year-old catcher slots behind shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. and pitcher MacKenzie Gore.