With the 2022 MLB trade deadline around the corner, the San Diego Padres have finally made their move, acquiring closer Josh Hader from the Milwaukee Brewers.
Hader will be tasked with helping to improve a bullpen that ranks 17th in the MLB with a 3.97 ERA.
Prior to being traded, Hader had struggled in the ninth inning last month.
He allowed 13 runs in 9 ⅓ innings in the month of July, finishing with a 12.54 ERA to go along with a 1-3 record and a blown save.
Padres, Brewers swap closers in Josh Hader Deal
The two teams will swap closers in the deal, which will send Taylor Rogers, Dinelson Lamet, left-handed pitching prospect Robert Gasser, and outfielder Esteury Ruiz.
Hader leads the MLB with 29 saves but comes in with a disappointing 4.24 ERA to go along with 59 strikeouts in 34 innings of work.
Meanwhile, Rogers is right behind him with 28 saves so far this season.
Hader Trade Makes Sense For Milwaukee
While Hader had been one of the best closers in the MLB over the past few seasons, the Brewers’ right-hander had been struggling of late.
On top of Haders’ struggles, Milwaukee’s setup man, Devin Williams, has been red-hot of late.
Williams has pitched 30 consecutive scoreless innings and appears to have regained the form that made him the 2022 NL Rookie of the Year. This season, Williams is 2-0 with six saves and a 1.59 ERA in 39 ⅔ innings of work with 66 strikeouts and only 19 walks during that span.
While Rogers may assume the closer’s role in Milwaukee after being traded, there is also a chance that Williams could get a shot in the ninth inning before the season is over.
Milwaukee also gets back a pair of prospects in the deal, along with Lamet, who has turned into a reclamation project after injuries derailed his once promising MLB career.
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