San Diego Padres relief pitcher Josh Hader, left, shakes hands with catcher Austin Nola after a 5-3 in over the Los Angeles Dodgers during Game 2 of a baseball NL Division Series, Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2022, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Yankees Among 3 Contenders ‘In Play’ for Closer Josh Hader: Insider
The New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers and Texas Rangers are the three teams “in play” to sign five-time All-Star closer Josh Hader, according to Jim Bowden of CBS Sports.
Bowden added in his December 28 video report for CBS Sports that Hader is seeking a deal “north of Edwin Díaz,” whose five-year, $102 million contract signed with the New York Mets last offseason was the richest in MLB history for a relief pitcher.
No team has yet offered that rich of a deal to Hader, who recorded a dominant 1.28 ERA and 33 saves for the San Diego Padres last season while striking out 85 batters in 56.1 innings pitched.
While the Yankees, Dodgers, and Rangers are all mentioned as being interested in Hader, Bowden noted that all three teams would prefer to sign or trade for a starting pitcher before adding a closer such as Hader.
“If the Yankees aren’t able to get Jordan Montgomery back, which they’re hopeful to do, they will not be afraid to pivot to get Hader. I just don’t think they’re going to go to the five years [Edwin] Díaz got,” said Bowden, an MLB insider who previously held general manager roles with the Cincinnati Reds and Washington Nationals.
At 29 years old, Hader is aiming to become the highest-paid reliever in MLB history in the same offseason that the Dodgers signed Shohei Ohtani to a record-breaking contract for U.S. team sports.
The Dodgers have also signed starting pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto (12 years, $325 million) and Tyler Glasnow (5 years, $136.5 million) to push their offseason spending to more than $1 billion, so it’s a bit surprising to see the Dodgers also reported as a potential suitor for Hader.
Hader has won the National League Reliever of the Year Award three times in his seven MLB seasons since he debuted with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2017. The flamethrowing lefty was traded by the Brewers to San Diego in 2022. To help replace Hader, the Padres signed Japanese relief ace Yuki Matsui to a five-year deal worth $28 million earlier this offseason.
