Josh Hader’s skills would undoubtedly meet the Texas Rangers’ bullpen demands. Will the club, however, be able to pay to compete for the closer?
With the signing of Tyler Mahle, the Texas Rangers have made an effort to strengthen their starting rotation; but, their bullpen still has issues.
Texas is still on the market for a top-tier closer, and if the two parties can agree on a fair trade, they may be able to get one of the best in baseball. Now, the question is who else might be prepared to accept the consequences of the deal.
Recently, MLB.com made a “best fit” prediction for the top free agents still available, indicating that Josh Hader, a closer, is a better fit for the Rangers than the Los Angeles Dodgers, another contender.
“The Rangers have mostly stayed in the background since they won it all in November, which is a sharp contrast to what they did in the previous two offseasons. Hader, though, is as sensible a choice as any if the team decides to make a major investment in the upcoming weeks (assuming Montgomery’s high price makes him an impractical choice). Although Texas overcame its bullpen troubles to win the World Series, we can’t ignore the reality that the team witnessed Will Smith and Aroldis Chapman leave the team at the beginning of free agency, and that it had more failed saves than successful conversions throughout the regular season.” – MLB.com
In his first full season in San Diego, Hader recorded 33 saves with a 1.29 ERA, regaining his All-Star form. From his debut in 2017, the left-hander has established himself as one of baseball’s best closers.
Hader has pitched 388.2 innings with a 2.50 ERA and an 86.5% save ratio (165-to-190) over the course of seven seasons. In three seasons, the most recent of which was in 2021, he has recorded more than 100 strikeouts.
Hader desires the same compensation as a top close. The 29-year-old reportedly wants a deal worth more than Edwin Díaz’s $102 million, five-year deal that he inked with the Mets during the previous offseason.
Not many teams will pay that much for a pitcher, much less a closer. Despite the years being different from the asking amount, Texas is among the few teams who could afford to pay Hader an annual salary somewhere in that ballpark.
Despite having already spent $1.5 billion signing Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto and trading for and extending Tyler Glasnow, the Rays’ pitcher, the Dodgers appear interested in almost every free agent.
It appears like Texas is considering pitchers other than Hader. Jordan Montgomery, a left-hander, is in high demand following a stellar postseason, but the Rangers are still in the hunt to re-sign him.
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