Did the Josh Hader trade short-circuit the Milwaukee Brewers?

On August 1, the Milwaukee Brewers traded All-Star closer Josh Hader to the San Diego Padres. With the team three games ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Central at the time of the trade, the swap was considered risky at best for a team that was battling to keep the Cardinals at bay.

Flash forward to Saturday, August 6, and the move not only seems risky in retrospect, but also one that could well shape the rest of the regular season and perhaps the postseason for the Milwaukee Brewers as well.

Did the Josh Hader trade send the Milwaukee Brewers into a freefall?

On Saturday, the Brewers dropped a 7-5 decision to the Cincinnati Reds, marking Milwaukee’s fourth loss in the five games since Hader was sent to southern California. Combine that with six straight wins from the Cardinals and Milwaukee suddenly finds itself a game back in the NL Central and out of the postseason picture if the season were to end today, as the Brewers are a game behind the red-hot Philadelphia Phillies (9-1 in their last 10 games) for the final NL Wild Card spot.

Take a listen to the confused and somber words from reliever Devin Williams after the Hader trade and you’ll get a feel for what was going on in the clubhouse with the Hader trade news.

There have been plenty of explanations from Milwaukee’s top brass about why the trade was made, as well as shooting down some of the thoughts from the fan base about why it was made as well. However, many words are said, however, what has happened to the Brewers while playing the Pittsburgh Pirates (and getting swept on the road) and the Reds (with the rubber match of the three-game home series coming on Sunday) says more than any explanation possibly could.

While there may be plenty of time for the Brewers to course correct and rebound from these past few days, there’s no question that the Josh Hader trade has made an impact on the field and in the clubhouse for Milwaukee.