Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA Today Sports

Player data: age: 31 (3/20/1990), B/T: left/left

Main data: 68 G, 64.2 IP, 3.90 ERA, 1.268 WHIP, 6-7 W/L, 61 K, 26 BB

Advanced statistics: 106 ERA+, 21.9% K%, 9.4% BB%, 4.67 xERA, 4.58 FIP, 4.76 xFIP, -0.1 fWAR, -0.3 bWAR

Joined the team for only a month or so. Although they tried to achieve this goal last winter, no one expected Hand to enter the 2021 season of the New York Mets. When he was assigned to that position after signing in September, he was no longer his former main substitute, but was a reliable successor for the time being.

In a season that saw pitchers go in and out through the revolving door, Brad Hand was no exception. After a good first half with the Washington Nationals, and the Toronto Blue Jays failed to acquire at the trade deadline, the Mets selected the former All-Star player on September 2 to help complete the unlikely season. Tour of the playoffs. During his short tenure with the Mets, the left-hander brought a decent but unobtrusive performance to the team.

After the Nationals posted a 3.59 ERA and 21 saves at the beginning of the season, Hand was traded to the Blue Jays on July 29. Hopefully this will be an influential deadline for the team. Acquisition. It certainly wasn't that successful, because in 8 2/3 innings of pitching, he gave up three home runs while getting an ugly 7.27 ERA. The left-hander was released by the Jay team on August 31, and the Mets took him away two days later. 

The three-time All-Star made his first appearance on September 4 in the Mets' game against the old club Nationals. In the 2/3 innings of his pitching, he gave up an unearned run and several hits, but performed well in the first game of the pinstripe. After a terrible August ending with a SR of 8.22, Hand came to the Mets and made a good comeback, accumulating a SR of 2.92 in September. This also includes some failed saves, but overall, this is clearly a better performance. However, it is not difficult to perform better than him in the Blue Jays. 

In the latter part of the past five years, Hande has been one of the most dominant rescue pitchers in baseball. His seasons with the San Diego Padres and Cleveland Guards benefited from his dominant slider and his four-slit fastball. During the 2021 season, Hand relied heavily on both. 

In general, Hande's performance has been ups and downs. After signing a $10 million deal with Washington, he is not expected to be released before the end of the year and eventually become a divisional competitor. However, at least his season ended with a bright note after unsuccessful Toronto. Although he can only play for the Mets, he did find a way to save the season.

Many of the mainstays of the Mets bullpen are likely or not to return to Queens. Aaron Loup signed an agreement with the Los Angeles Angels, and Jeurys Familia is a free agent and may not play the third tour with the team. Where does a veteran like Hande go? I personally don't think he will return to orange and blue in the upcoming season. Entering his 32-year-old season, he is no longer the pitcher he used to be. For a team that is now aiming to win, they need every moving part to consistently contribute to it.

As mentioned earlier, Hande won a $10 million contract for the Nationals team last winter. After experiencing the trough, he will not get the same payday. However, where he will eventually go will determine how much he is willing to accept. He can be seen as the transaction deadline for a team below 0.500, which has the ability to spend millions. Once the lock-up is over, it will be interesting to see if he will form a certain market format.

Megan is a native of Long Island and a student of UCF broadcast journalism. She hopes to turn her irrational love of baseball into a career. Twitter: @metsmeghan