Milwaukee Brewers: Three possible trade partners for Josh Hader

If the Milwaukee Brewers do trade Josh Hader, which teams make the most sense as possible landing spots?

In an offseason where the free agent market is limited in terms of high-profile names, this winter’s trade market is likely to feature a number of the game’s top players as teams look to unload high-priced players to cut payroll and fill voids in their roster.

As reported by FanSided’s Robert Murray, the Milwaukee Brewers are currently listening to offers for their star reliever Josh Hader, an offseason trade that makes a lot of sense.

It’s been quite the ride for Hader since being traded from the Baltimore Orioles to the Brewers for starting pitcher Bud Norris. In his four seasons with Milwaukee, Hader owns a 2.54 ERA, a 0.86 WHIP, and a career-strikeout rate of 15.3 K/9 IP.

That run also includes two All-Star appearances and two Reliever of the Year honors as Hader has established himself as one of the more dominant relievers in baseball.

However, the Milwaukee Brewers now face a need to trim payroll and fill multiple holes in their offense. Milwaukee has resisted trading away their top reliever for some time now, demanding a large return for the now 26-year-old.

With multiple years of control left, elite swing and miss stuff, and the ability to turn just about any backend of a bullpen into a force to be reckoned with, the Brewers have rightfully not budged on their high asking price for Hader.

But is this finally the year? With his trade value about as high as it’s going to get, the Milwaukee Brewers would be smart to move Hader this offseason. If they do, these three teams would make plenty of sense as possible landing spots.

The Milwaukee Brewers need to fill many roster holes in 2021 and the San Diego Padres have the prospects to make a deal.

If 2020 proved anything within the baseball world, it’s that the San Diego Padres are quickly becoming one of the more exciting teams in Major League Baseball, and they won’t be going away any time soon.

General manager AJ Preller has been aggressively adding talent to his pipeline since taking over the job and that aggressiveness has paid off recently. When a plethora of minor league talent to deal from, the Padres were able to trade for starting pitcher Mike Clevinger, catchers Jason Castro and Austin Nola, first baseman Mitch Moreland, and reliever Trevor Rosenthal all while keeping the vast majority of their top prospects.

San Diego now finds themselves in need of bullpen help once again with Rosenthal and Kirby Yates entering free agency. Luckily, they are still in possession of a long list of valuable prospects to deal for Josh Hader.

Drew Pomeranz filled the late-inning void well last year and despite some ups and downs, Emilio Pagan is a quality set-up piece, but there aren’t any other pitchers in the game like Hader.

San Diego’s urgency to win in 2020 will only grow stronger in 2021 and after being close to acquiring Hader at this year’s deadline, perhaps now is their chance to work out a deal. While top pitching prospects MacKenzie Gore and Luis Patino will likely not be involved in a potential deal, a pitcher like Ryan Weathers or Cole Wilcox could headline a notable return to the Milwaukee Brewers.

The Padres won’t be quiet this offseason. What better way to make some noise and continue to close the gap between them and the Dodgers than acquiring one of the game’s most dominant late-inning arms.

The Minnesota Twins and Milwaukee Brewers have discussed a Josh Hader trade before. Will those talks resurface?

Let’s talk about an under-the-radar trade partner with the Milwaukee Brewers, the Minnesota Twins.

The Brewers are in need of offensive help at the major league level and the Twins have the talent to deal for Josh Hader and secure their replacement for Trevor May who may end up leaving via free agency this winter.

Minnesota already features a solid outfield core at the major league level, allowing them to dangle top outfield prospect Trevor Larnach in a possible deal, Minnesota’s third-ranked prospect (77th overall per MLB Pipeline).

The Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals are still years away from competing, while the Cleveland Indians and their eagerness to shed salary have already led to the departure of Brad Hand and could soon lead to the trade of Francisco Lindor.

The Chicago White Sox are certainly a team on the rise, but the path to remain the gold standard in the AL Central is wide open for Minnesota if they can inject some more stability in their offense and solidify their bullpen.

Minnesota has been connected to Josh Hader in the past, so there’s clearly interest and some possible early discussions already had. With a deep farm system to deal from, the Twins have the pieces to put together a package for Hader, but do they believe he can help them make a World Series push?

With a  44% career strikeout rate, .143 average against, and a 0.86 WHIP across his career, Hader would be quite the neutralizing force against some of the more powerful American League lineups.