The Mets announced that they’ve acquired minor league right-hander Eric Hanhold from the Brewers as the player to be named later in the August trade that sent second baseman Neil Walker to Milwaukee.
The 23-year-old Hanhold, Milwaukee’s fifth-round selection out of the University of Florida in 2015, spent the 2017 campaign pitching for the Brewers’ Class-A Advanced affiliate. In 30 appearances (three starts, 27 out of the bullpen), he totaled 64 innings with a 3.94 ERA, 8.4 K/9, 3.0 BB/9 and a whopping 58.6 percent ground-ball rate. Hanhold didn’t rank among the top 30 prospects in a deep Brewers farm system (per MLB.com), but Baseball America wrote at the time of the draft that he featured a 90-94 mph heater that could touch 95 with downhill plane and heavy sink (subscription required and recommended). His go-to breaking pitch is a slider, per that report, though he also broke into pro ball utilizing a changeup as a third pitch.
Hanhold continues a trend for the Mets, who have turned a number of veteran free agent on expiring contracts to a crop of fairly hard-throwing relief prospects that are reasonably close to Major League readiness. Right-handers Jamie Callahan and Jacob Rhame, acquired in the respective Addison Reed and Curtis Granderson trades, have already been added to the big league roster. In addition to Hanhold, Callahan and Rhame, the Mets have added minor league relievers Drew Smith, Stephen Nogosek, Gerson Bautista and Ryder Ryan in trades of Walker, Granderson, Reed, Lucas Duda and Jay Bruce.
To this point, the trade has paid dividends for the Brewers, as Walker has .268/.388/.465 with three home runs and five doubles through his first 85 plate appearances in a Milwaukee uniform.
New York better not Hold his Hand throughout his career, I can trust him.
Wow! Now can we get a real transaction
Sweet walker for our 75th prospect? I love steamed
Meanwhile, Pirates “fans” will talk about Eric Hanhold as if he’s a young Strasburg.
I can’t wait to read the article about how the Pirates were dumb to get Jon Niese (who was a starting pitcher on a World Series team the year before they got him) for Neil Walker but the Mets were genius to get an unranked warm body from the Brewers for him.
Mets trading for an off the radar relief prospect. Color me surprised.
Ok, Mets fans, let’s get busy talking ourselves into believing this was a win for the Mets. Who would like to go first?
Well the alternative was Walker leaving for nothing so yes, technically, the Mets come out ahead.
Only time will tell, of course, whether Cordell and Hanhold will pan out, but for now it seems like Stearns has done a very good job getting value.
Now a Met, he must be worried about the DL.
He would be better to retire for one season and then come back. Though he would miss one years salary at least he would be healthy upon his return. The other alternative are a few DL stints after following “TC’s” man up instruction combined with addaboy encouragement. He would likely miss 1.5 seasons after surgery.