CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Dave Dombrowski promised more bullpen help, and he got it on Tuesday.
Philadelphia announced it signed right-hander Jeurys Familia and left-hander Brad Hand to one-year, $6 million contracts. Before the lockout, the Phillies signed right-hander Corey Knebel to a one-year, $10 million deal.
Knebel will be the Phils’ closer. Hand and Familia will be his setup men.
“It's their experience in the back end,” Phillies manager Joe Girardi said on Tuesday at BayCare Ballpark. “The stuff that they have. They're tested. You know these are guys that have done it for a long time. They've both closed at a pretty high level. So I think it gives us a lot more options with the players that we already have. And it gives us really good balance on both sides.”
A three-time All-Star, Hand pitched for three teams in 2021: the Nationals, Blue Jays and Mets. He had a 3.59 ERA in 41 appearances with Washington before being traded to Toronto. He had a 7.27 ERA in 11 appearances with the Blue Jays, who placed him on waivers. The Mets claimed him and he pitched well the rest of the way, posting a 2.70 ERA in his final 16 appearances.
Hand’s strikeout rate was down in 2021, his walk rate was up and he didn’t fare well in quality of contact metrics. But much of that has to do with his 11 outings with the Blue Jays. Certainly, the Phillies are hoping they get the version of Hand who pitched well with the Nats and Mets.
Hand, who is expected to be in camp on Wednesday, is 32-50 with a 3.68 ERA and 126 saves in an 11-year career. He has made 60 or more appearances in five of the past six seasons.
Familia went 9-4 with a 3.94 ERA in 65 appearances last season with the Mets. He is 32-25 with a 3.28 ERA and 125 saves in his 10-year career. He saved an MLB-best 51 games in 2016. The right-hander has also made 65 or more appearances in six of the past eight years. He was suspended for 15 games by Major League Baseball in ‘17 for violating the league's Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy. The suspension stemmed from Familia's Oct. 31, 2016, arrest on a simple assault charge. Prosecutors later dropped the charges, and Familia did not stand trial.
Knebel, Hand and Familia are expected to join José Alvarado, Connor Brogdon, Sam Coonrod and Seranthony Domínguez in Philadelphia's bullpen.
Familia smiled when asked if he is looking forward to pitching alongside Alvarado, who upset the Mets last April after he hit Michael Conforto with a pitch at Citi Field. He then got benches to clear a few weeks later after he struck out Dominic Smith at Citizens Bank Park.
“He’s a really good kid,” Familia said through an interpreter on Tuesday. “There’s a lot of talent there. I think with my help and the help of other veterans, he can be a really, really good pitcher. He’s definitely an important key for us.”
And Familia? What will he bring to this bullpen?
“You’re going to get the best out of me every night,” he said.
To make room on the 40-man roster, left-hander Scott Moss was designated for assignment. The Phillies previously placed left-hander JoJo Romero on the 60-day injured list to give them another spot on the 40-man roster.