The Milwaukee Brewers have agreed to trade closer Josh Hader to the San Diego Padres, Jim Bowden of CBS Sports HQ confirmed Monday. Milwaukee will receive reliever Taylor Rogers, right-hander Dinelson Lamet and prospects Robert Gasser and Esteury Ruiz in the deal that comes less than 30 hours before Tuesday’s trade deadline.
Hader, 28, will qualify for free agency after next season. Because of that, and because of their rising arbitration costs (saves are the only statistic a reliever pays before he hits free agency), the Brewers had been more open to moving him than they you might expect from a top team. .
It’s possible the Brewers would feel more empowered to make a deal, as Hader is in the midst of a disappointing effort by their rules. In 37 appearances, he has amassed a 4.24 ERA (97 ERA+) and a 4.92 strikeout-to-walk ratio. (For reference, even with his struggles this year, he still has a career ERA of 2.48).
Hader had been particularly ineffective of late, with his season ERA rising from 1.09 at the start of July to 4.24 by the end of the month. Five of the seven home runs he allowed this season came over six plate appearances.
Please check the opt-in box to acknowledge that you would like to subscribe.
Thanks for signing up!
Keep an eye on your inbox.
Sorry!
An error occurred while processing your subscription.
The Brewers didn’t necessarily have to have long-term concerns about Hader to justify moving him; they just had to feel like they could get similar production from Rogers, and the other players served to balance out the fact that Rogers will be a free agent. agent at the end of the season, a year before Hader. How realistic is this belief? Rogers has also had a worse-than-usual year, posting a 4.35 ERA (87 ERA+) and a 5.33 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 41 innings. For his career, he has a 3.29 ERA over 350 big league innings.
Sportsline projects the trade will positively impact San Diego in 2022. The Padres’ playoff chances increased from 68.9% to 70.7%, while Milwaukee’s dropped slightly from 78.8% to 78 .2%
Looking for more information on Hader trading? Fantasy Baseball Today broke the deal in an emergency episode. Listen below:
What the trade means for the Brewers
First, it means Milwaukee will have a regular closer who isn’t Hader for the first time since taking over the ninth inning in 2018. The combination of his recent struggles (as mentioned above) and the excel Devin Williams’ continued brilliance should make this easier for Brewers fans to bear, though it’s reasonable to think that Milwaukee’s bullpen as a whole could take a step back as a result. (That slump, the Brewers front office seems to be betting, can be made up for with Rogers.)
Hader’s departure will also free up funds for the Brewers to allocate elsewhere. He was owed $11 million this season, making him the second-highest paid player on Milwaukee’s roster behind Christian Yelich. Of course, the savings won’t be felt immediately: Rogers had a full-season salary of more than $7 million, meaning the difference the rest of the way is less than $2 million between them.
The Brewers also get some additional pitching depth in the form of Lamet, an interesting young hitter in Ruiz, and Gasser, who Baseball America recently ranked as the ninth-best prospect in San Diego’s system and a potential back-end starter.
What trade means for Parents
It’s easy. The Padres were able to acquire Hader, arguably the best reliever in the game throughout his career, for a package of outfielders. Rogers had underperformed and was months away from free agency; Lamet hadn’t proven he belonged in a big league pitching staff; and neither Ruiz nor Gasser was one of the Padres’ top young prospects.
It’s rare to be able to land a potential impact talent, even in the form of a reliever, without giving up a player the team will definitely miss. Parents got it here. Even if there’s a chance Hader is down, it’s worth the gamble. One that could improve the Padres’ bullpen without jeopardizing their pursuit of Juan Soto or other deadline additions.