2 best Josh Hader free agency destinations ahead of 2024 season
Along with the World Series champion Rangers, here are the best MLB free agency destinations for Josh Hader before the 2024 season.
Now that the World Series has concluded with the Texas Rangers claiming the throne atop the MLB, it’s time to look forward to the upcoming 2023 MLB offseason. The whole point of this endeavor is to claim the trophy the Rangers just won, and to get there, sometimes that means spending up in free agency to help a position of weakness. The Rangers landed a few key players on their championship squad through free agency. They signed Corey Seager away from the Los Angeles Dodgers, Marcus Semien away from the Toronto Blue Jays and also signed Jacob deGrom from the New York Mets. deGrom did get hurt and missed most of the 2023 season, but he will be back in 2024.
There are a lot of quality players poised to become free agents in 2024, many of whom could potentially turn the tables of the 2024 season. One of those players might be Josh Hader. After a topsy-turvy 2022 season, Hader stabilized and reemerged as one of the best relief pitchers in all of baseball. In 61 games, he posted a 2.4 WAR, a 1.28 ERA, and a 1.1 WHIP. He converted 33 of 38 save opportunities for the San Diego Padres in 2023. Not only is Hader one of the best closers in the league, but he’s also probably the best relief pitcher on the market. The question is: who should sign him and where should he go?
Texas Rangers
If Josh Hader wants to win a World Series, signing with the team that just won the thing isn’t a bad place to start. Texas’ run to the World Series was remarkable, but they made it there despite their bullpen, not because of it. Although the Rangers’ bullpen played much better in the playoffs, they did not play very well in the regular season. Jose LeClerc, had a pretty solid regular season. His 2.68 ERA and 1.14 WHIP were very solid marks, but he blew more saves (5) than the number of saves he actually finished with (4) in the regular season. LeClerc did make up for it by posting four big saves in the playoffs during Texas’ World Series run.
Will Smith, Texas’ primary closer during the regular season, did not do much in Texas’ playoff run. He only pitched 3.1 innings and allowed four earned runs in that span. That followed an uneven regular season for Smith, where he finished with a 4.4 ERA and blew five saves in 27 opportunities. It was understandable why the Rangers didn’t trust him in the playoffs and ultimately decided to use him only in spot moments.
Aroldis Chapman and Josh Sborz stepped up big time for the Rangers in the playoffs, but they were also inconsistent in the regular season. Chapman posted a 3.72 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP since coming over to Texas from Kansas City at the trade deadline. Sborz ended the regular season with a 5.50 ERA. But at least they stepped up when it counted. In the playoffs, Sborz tallied a remarkable 0.75 ERA and 0.67 WHIP. Chapman wasn’t too far behind with a 2.25 ERA. The Rangers’ bullpen was a big question mark entering the postseason, but those two, as well as Jose LeClerc, quelled any concerns.
That still doesn’t mean that the Rangers shouldn’t look for an upgrade, however. Josh Hader would further bolster Texas’ bullpen and immediately put Texas at the forefront to repeat next season. He’d be a great addition for the champions.
