3 Reasons the Milwaukee Brewers Would Consider Trading Josh Hader

To trade Josh Hader, or not to trade Josh Hader? That is the big question facing the Milwaukee Brewers, just as it has the last few offseasons.

As I wrote recently, a report from Robert Murray of FanSided would note that there are “mixed opinions” around baseball when it comes to whether or not Hader will be traded. Murray adds that there is “a lot of chatter,” and as David Stearns does, he will listen to offers. But at this time, it is not believed that Milwaukee is actively looking to trade him either.

However, as we all know, these things can change very quickly if the right offer is presented. Given how dominant Hader has been, it can be easy to look at these rumors and wonder, why would the Brewers trade him?

But below, we will get into three reasons why the Milwaukee Brewers would consider doing so.

Josh Hader’s trade value will only go down from here

Josh Hader had already been one of the most dominant relief pitchers in baseball prior to the 2021 season. During the previous three years, he had won NL Reliever of the Year twice while recording a 2.66 ERA over 176.0 innings pitched, a 2.79 FIP that mirrored his ERA, and a whopping 16.0 strikeouts per nine innings (K/9).

This season, Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsell altered Hader’s usage, only allowing him to pitch one inning at a time. Hader would finish the 2021 season with 58.2 innings of work compared to 81.1 innings in 2018 and 75.2 in 2019.

The end result was that Hader had a career year in a number of key categories, including a 1.23 ERA, a 1.69 FIP, just three home runs allowed, and 15.6 K/9. He would also win his third NL Reliever of the Year award.

Hader still has two years of team control remaining, and he is one of, if not the best reliever in the game. As good as he has been these past four seasons, he is coming off arguably his best season to date, not to mention that his projected arbitration salary of $10 million in 2022 is a bargain in comparison to what he’d make as a free agent.

So to put it simply, Hader’s trade value may be at an all-time high.

However, this is really the last offseason where the Milwaukee Brewers could get a haul for the hard-throwing lefty. A year from now, with the 2023 season being Hader’s final under team control, his value on the trade market will take a hit because the team acquiring him is only guaranteed to have him for one season.

If the Milwaukee Brewers’ goal is to get the most in return for Hader that they can, then this offseason is the time to trade him. If they would rather have him around, or perhaps they don’t get an offer that they like, then they’ll continue to have the best reliever in baseball closing out games for them–which is certainly a good thing.

But just know if that’s the case, when the trade rumors inevitably pop up again in 2022, the return will be a lot less than it would be now.