Denis Poroy/Getty ImagesThe Cleveland Indians announced Thursday that they acquiredAll-Star closerBrad Handand pitcher Adam Cimber from the San Diego Padres in exchange for catcher Francisco Mejia.Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic first reported the deal.Hand has appeared in 41games this season and boasts a 3.17 FIP. His 13.2 strikeouts per nine innings are on pace to be a career high.Hand first became a full-time reliever in 2016 after the Padres claimed him off waivers from the Miami Marlins. The left-hander then enjoyed a career year Tyler Austin Jersey ,posting a 2.92 ERA and a 3.07 FIP, and averaging 11.2 strikeouts per nine innings.Hand was even better in 2017 after replacing Fernando Rodney and Brandon Maurer as San Diego's regular closer. He registered 21 saves and struck out an average of 11.8 batters, while his ERA and FIP improved to2.16 and 3.03, respectively.The Padres rewarded Hand with a three-year extension worth $19.7 million. The contract includes a $10 million club option for 2021.Elite closers are generally luxuries for losing teams rather than necessities, but Hand's contract provided the Padres with at least one reason to consider keeping him.By giving Eric Hosmer an eight-year, $144 million deal this past offseason, the franchise indicated it wants to be a winner in the near future.By 2021, San Diego may have climbed toward playoff contention Clint Frazier Jersey , at which point having somebody such as Hand would be much more important.With that said, Hand's contract also meant the Padres could demand even more in a trade. He's under team control for up to three more years, so San Diego didn't have to settle for a meager return because it risked losing him for nothing in the offseason.General manager A.J. Preller has done well to rebuild the Padres' farm system after they tried to fast-track their journey back to the playoffs in 2015. Much as he did with Craig Kimbrel, Drew Pomeranz and James Shields, Preller flipped Hand for younger players who further strengthen one of MLB's best farm systems.Following the 2018 MLB draft, Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter placed the Padres third behind the Atlanta Braves and Chicago White Sox in his farm system rankings. Although San Diego is headed for an eighth straight losing season, the team's outlook is undeniably bright.Although their bullpen was one of their biggest strengths last season, it is now the Indians' biggest Achilles' heel. Andrew Miller is on the DL http://www.athleticsfanproshop.com/authentic-mark-mcgwire-jersey , and closer Cody Allen currently has a 4.66 ERA.Hand fills a huge need, and Cimber should contribute as well since he has a 3.17 ERA in 41 appearances this season.The 22-year-old Mejia has appeared in just one MLB game this season, but he is a highly touted prospect due to his hitting ability.In 79 games at the Triple-A level, Mejia is hitting .279 with seven home runs and 45 RBI this season.For the Indians, acquiring Hand is a win-now move, but his contract ensures Cleveland has some time to show this trade was worth it. Should the team fall short of its goal in 2018, Hand will be around for 2019, 2020 and potentially 2021.Cleveland paid a steep price for Hand Stephen Piscotty Jersey , but there are multiple avenues through which this can be a worthwhile venture. Stats are courtesy of FanGraphs A spot in the team record books is on the line Sunday, as well as an opportunity to solidify their playoff positioning.But if the St. Louis Cardinals are to beat the Cincinnati Reds at Busch Stadium and capture their 11th consecutive series, they will probably need a strong start from a guy that recently lost his spot in the rotation.Manager Mike Shildt has opted to give an extra day of rest to the likes of Jack Flaherty, Miles Mikolas and John Gant ahead of their starts Monday through Wednesday in Washington. Shildt is going with righthander Luke Weaver (7-11, 4.59 ERA), who will make his first start since an Aug. 16 loss to the Nationals, which occurred four days after he was scratched with a cut on his right index finger from trying to open a food tray.Article continues below ...After starting the season as perhaps the team’s second-best starter behind Carlos Martinez, Weaver hasn’t been able to consistently command his pitches. Good starts became less frequent http://www.athleticsfanproshop.com/authentic-andrew-triggs-jersey , replaced by outings in which the Cardinals had to dip into their bullpen before the fifth inning was over.Since moving to the bullpen, Weaver has yielded one run and five hits in four innings over three appearances, picking up the win in a 5-2 victory Aug. 21 at the Los Angeles Dodgers with 2 1/3 innings.Weaver is 3-0 with a 5.16 ERA in five career games against Cincinnati, but will probably be on a short leash. With St. Louis (76-60) occupying one of the two wild-card spots in the National League and sporting a fresh bullpen after Tyson Ross soaked up 4 2/3 innings of long relief in Saturday night’s 4-0 defeat, Weaver won’t have much room for error.The Cardinals had little chance Saturday night. Reds starter Luis Castillo dominated for 6 2/3 innings, whiffing 11 and allowing only two hits in earning the win.“The reality is not a lot of people are going to do anything to him with what he had,” Shildt said of Castillo. “He had really nasty stuff and was able to repeat it and, locate it. Nice outing by that young man.”Cincinnati righthander Anthony DeSclafani (7-4 Jake Smolinski Jersey , 4.34) will try to replicate what Castillo did. In his last outing Tuesday night, DeSclafani picked up a 9-7 victory over Milwaukee on Tuesday, allowing seven hits and four runs in 6 2/3 innings while walking one and fanning six. He went 3-1 with a 2.62 ERA in five August starts.“I think we see Anthony DeSclafani as handling the workload,” Reds interim manager Jim Riggleman said to mlb.com before Tuesday night’s game. “He’s a good Major League pitcher.”DeSclafani has pitched well against the Cardinals in his four-year career, going 5-2 in nine outings (eight starts) with a 3.30 ERA. But they got to him July 15, ripping him for six runs on five hits and a walk in 3 1/3 innings of a 6-4 loss. And St. Louis might beef up its lineup for the series finale. It activated left fielder Marcell Ozuna (shoulder) off the 10-day disabled list Saturday. Shildt said before Saturday night’s game that he anticipates Ozuna will return to the lineup Sunday.The Cardinals enter Sunday 4 1/2 games behind the first-place Chicago Cubs in the NL Central.