Milwaukee Brewers: Time to extend Josh Hader is now

Josh Hader has been a frequent subject in trade rumors for the past calendar year. It is time for the Milwaukee Brewers to end that talk permanently.

Since he broke into the majors, Josh Hader has been one of the best relievers in baseball. The Milwaukee Brewers closer has been a dominant force out of the bullpen, with his devastating slider and excellent fastball leaving a wake of overmatched hitters behind.

However, the results were not quite as strong in 2020. While Hader allowed only eight hits and struck out 31 batters over his 19 innings, he also issued ten walks. His 3.79 ERA, while still better than league average, was the worst of his major league career. It would seem that, if the Brewers were to trade him, the time would be now.

But those numbers do not quite tell the entire story. Hader struggled with his command before the trade deadline, with all ten of his walks occurring before August 31. Likewise, his ERA is skewed due to one bad outing against the Cubs where he allowed four runs in an inning – take that appearance out, and he allowed just four runs in 18 innings, with four hits and one homer allowed.

It is clear that these trade talks have had a negative effect on Hader’s production. He had settled in following the deadline, seemingly more comfortable on the mound. But those talks will continue until the Brewers do something.

That move should be an extension. Hader is eligible for arbitration and is about to see his salary increase. The Brewers, while a smaller market team, have locked in their stars before, handing extensions to Christian Yelich and Ryan Braun. With Hader coming off of what can be considered the worst season of his career, this would be the time to strike.

Such a deal would work out for both sides. The Brewers would have cost certainty for the length of the extension, allowing them to budget for other pieces to fill out the roster while locking in one of the more dominant bullpen arms in the game. Hader would get the certainty that he seems to need, knowing that he will be a part of the Brewers for the long term. Those trade talks would be a thing of the past and would no longer be in the back of his mind.

This is the time for the Milwaukee Brewers to extend Josh Hader. Doing so may allow Hader to once again be the unstoppable force he had been in past years.