Josh Hader And The Astros Reach A Five-Year Agreement
Reportedly, the Astros and left-handed pitcher Josh Hader have reached a five-year, $95 million agreement. The absence of deferrals makes this agreement the largest ever given by a relief pitcher in terms of current value.
Before the previous season, Edwin Díaz established a new standard for a reliever by signing a $102 million contract with the Mets.
However, the present value and rivalry tax calculation were reduced to approximately $93 million due to deferred money.
USA TODAY | Charles LeClaire-Josh Hader Physical Sports CAA Sports projects that Hader will earn $19 million per year until the 2028 season.
Furthermore, by winning the Reliever of the Year Award, an honor he has been awarded multiple times in his career, the southpaw can amass an additional $1,000,000 bonus.
There is a comprehensive no-trade clause along with no options, neither for the team nor the player.
The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Rome both reported on Thursday that the Astros were “making an effort” to sign a five-time All-Star.
The fact that general manager Dana Brown was seeking to bolster the bullpen after losing several key players via free agency—Héctor Neris, Phil Maton, and Ryne Stanek—was not unexpected.
The 2023 trade-date acquisition also is probable that Kendall Graveman will miss the entirety of the 2024 season due to shoulder surgery. However, Brown recently minimized his interest in acquiring an additional reliever.
The general manager informed MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart that the Astros were “still in a hunt for relievers” following the announcement of Graveman’s surgery. He added, “We have some internal applicants that we are extremely confident in.”
Likewise, he expressed to Rome, “We might need to acquire an additional body, or one of our personnel from within will step up.” In terms of present-day value, the deal is the largest ever for a relief pitcher, excluding any deferrals.
A source informed Jeff Passan of ESPN that All-Star closer Josh Hader signed a five-year, $95 million contract with the Houston Astros on Friday, greatly bolstering a club that has made eight consecutive appearances in the championship game of the American League.
During the last offseason, Edwin Diaz and the New York Mets reached an agreement on a five-year, $102 million contract. However, $26.5 million of that salary was deferred, resulting in a present value of approximately $93 million.
Following the announcement that Scott Graveman, one of that team’s primary high-leverage relievers, would be out the entire 2024 season due to shoulder surgery, the Astros acquired Hader.
Ryan Pressly, who has amassed 90 saves in the last three seasons, will almost certainly replace Hader as the team’s eighth-inning reliever due to his presence. However, Hader demonstrated versatility early in his career, handling a variety of assignments.
Irrespective of the outcome, the Astros, who re-enter the vast majority of the squad that fell one victory away from the World Series the previous season, will once again field a formidable bullpen, including Bryan Abreu as well as Rafael Montero.
The dual consequence of Houston’s Hader signing is that it eliminates him as a viable option for its regional rivals.
Throughout the offseason, there was speculation that the Texas Rangers, who defeated the Astros in a closely contested ALCS en route to their first championship, were pursuing Hader.
Hader, who spent 2013–2015 in the Astros’ minor league system, was an All-Star in all five of his complete seasons in the major categories and has arguably established himself as the game’s best closer.
His 153 saves as of the beginning of 2019 are the most in the major leagues. During those five years, he recorded 437 strikeouts, which is 59 more than the closest reliever.
While accomplishing this, the 29-year-old left-handed pitcher has compiled a 2.60 ERA and 0.98 WHIP. With a nimble frame that aids in optimizing his deception, he delivers a lethal sinker-slider combination.
This combination has earned him a career-high 15.0 strikeouts per nine innings, which is the highest in history among pitchers who have accumulated no fewer than 50 innings.