Houston Astros Sign LHP Josh Hader

The Houston Astros have reached an agreement with LHP Josh Hader for 5 years, $95 million per @JeffPassan. The contract becomes the largest for a reliever without any deferrals (NYM reliever Edwin Diaz received a $102 million contract, $94 million without deferrals). The deal also includes a full no-trade clause.

Hader, 29, was originally drafted in the 19th round by the Baltimore Orioles out of high school with a $40,000 signing bonus. He was traded to his new club, The Houston Astros, during the 2013 trade deadline. After spending 2 years in the minors for the Astros, Hader was shipped to The Milwaukee Brewers as part of the Carlos Gomez deal in 2015. During his time in Milwaukee, Hader shifted his focus from the rotation over to the bullpen where he hit the ground running and thrived.

With Milwaukee, Hader developed into one of the most effective relief pitchers in the game. Aside from a shaky 2022 campaign which saw him move to the San Diego Padres, Hader has been consistently dominant, racking up 165 career saves along with a 2.50 ERA. His 2023 season was arguably his best, as he pitched to a 1.28 ERA with a superb 85 K’s in 56 and ⅓ innings pitched. Hader will likely line up as Houston’s closer in 2024, creating a formidable trio of himself, Bryan Abreu and Ryan Pressly to even out the back of their pen. Houston figures to have one of the strongest pens heading into the new year, as their 2023 pen ERA of 3.56 ranked 6th across all of MLB.