San Diego Padres closer Josh Hader has been one of the most coveted players at the MLB trade deadline for the second consecutive year. A season after being involved in the blockbuster trade between the Padres and Milwaukee Brewers, Hader could be on the move again.
Hader, an impending free agent, is off to a much better start this season than he was at this time in 2022. When Milwaukee put Hader on the trade block in July of last season, he had a career-worst 4.24 ERA with a 1.12 WHIP in 34 innings pitched. One year later, Hader has been one of the best pitchers in MLB this season.
- Josh Hader stats (2023): 0.90 ERA, .125 batting average allowed, 0.98 WHIP, 38.1 percent strikeout rate, 13.8 percent walk rate, 24.4 percent K-BB rate, 25 saves, four blown saves in 40 innings pitched
Related: MLB trade tracker
A five-time All-Star selection and a three-time NL Reliever of the Year winner, Hader is attracting significant interest from teams atop the MLB playoff race. However, attempts to acquire the All-Star closer reportedly haven’t gone well and clubs around the league believe they know why.
According to Jon Heyman of MLB Network, opposing teams who have recently talked to San Diego in recent days believe the Padres’ closer is “almost surely staying” in San Diego. Unsurprisingly, the club isn’t publicly committing one way or another, wanting to leave its options open for a possible deal.
Related: San Diego Padres taking unique approach to trade deadline
- Josh Hader contract: $14.1 million salary in 2023, 2024 free agent
San Diego is much further down in the MLB standings than it expected to be right now. However, a wide-open National League wild card race could be influencing the club’s approach to the deadline.
Examining the San Diego Padres’ approach to MLB trade deadline
There’s more incentive for San Diego to trade a player like Hader or starting pitcher Blake Snell as opposed to All-Star outfielder Juan Soto. Hader and Snell are both free agents this winter and while they’ll receive a qualifying offer, both All-Star arms are likely to depart via the open market.
While that enables the Padres to receive draft-pick compensation for both players, it might be in the organization’s best interest to trade them on Tuesday for prospects of their choice. As of now, though, it appears the prospects being offered by teams aren’t worth more than the compensatory picks San Diego would receive in the 2024 MLB Draft.
As for Soto, he’s under contract through the 2024 season and the Padres believe they’ll be a contender next year. With a majority of MLB teams now confident that Hader and Soto remain in San Diego, the expectation is for the Padres to either be conservative buyers on Tuesday or to come away from the trade deadline having made only a few minor deals.
With Hader likely remaining the Padres’ closer, MLB teams interested in acquiring a premium reliever who could be trusted in critical situations in October will likely shift their focus to Pittsburgh Pirates closer David Bednar.
