AL foe makes deal for Phillies’ free agent target

Coming into the offseason, the Philadelphia Phillies really had two areas of need to address. Ensuring their starting rotation would still be one of the best in the game by re-signing Aaron Nola or adding another top arm, and upgrading their bullpen who got a bit shaky during the playoffs last year.

The Phillies were able to accomplish their first goal by agreeing to a seven-year, $172 million deal with Nola, but the bullpen additions have yet to come. With Craig Kimbrel departing to the Baltimore Orioles this winter, there was a clear need for a back-end arm to pair with Jose Alvarado and Orion Kerkering. Josh Hader was seen as a likely fit.

Not only is he the best closer in baseball, but he’s coming off a dominant year with the San Diego Padres that saw him post an ERA of 1.28 in 61 appearances, to go with 33 saves. He was selected to his fifth All-Star game in 2023 as well.

The only issue for Philadelphia was the left-hander was reportedly looking to become the highest-paid closer in MLB history, surpassing the $102 million contract the New York Mets handed Edwin Diaz. With the Phillies already shelling out their highest payroll in franchise history this upcoming season, the links to Hader died down. But, for the right price, Dave Dombrowski likely would have been interested.

As Hader continued to dangle on the market, it seemed like Philadelphia would have an opportunity to pounce. However, Jeff Passan of ESPN reported the superstar closer agreed to a five-year, $95 million contract with the Houston Astros. He notes that this deal gives Hader the status as the highest-paid closer based on present-day value because Diaz’s contract had deferrals that took his value to $93.1 million.