Current:Home > ScamsJosh Hader agrees to five-year, $95 million deal with Astros, giving Houston an ace closer -Secure Growth Academy
Josh Hader agrees to five-year, $95 million deal with Astros, giving Houston an ace closer
View
Date:2025-04-14 21:09:54
The Houston Astros have agreed on a five-year, $95 million deal with free agent closer Josh Hader, a person with knowledge of the agreement told USA TODAY Sports' Bob Nightengale.
The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the deal wasn't yet official.
As one of the most dominant relievers in baseball for the past half-decade, Hader has made five consecutive All-Star teams – coming up with the Milwaukee Brewers before spending the past 18 months with the San Diego Padres.
In 2023, Hader posted a 1.28 ERA with 33 saves and 85 strikeouts in 61 appearances but the Padres struggled for most of the season and missed out on the playoffs.
The Astros have reached the ALCS seven years in a row – winning two World Series titles – but have used a number of different closers during their run with Ken Giles (2017), Hector Rondon (2018), Roberto Osuna (2019) and Ryan Pressly (2020-2023) each leading the team in saves.
HOT STOVE UPDATES: MLB free agency: Ranking and tracking the top players available.
Hader joined the Padres ahead of the 2022 trade deadline, an unpopular move in Milwaukee with the Brewers very much in postseason contention. He struggled after the deal (7.31 ERA in 19 games) but only gave up one hit (and no runs) in five postseason appearances with San Diego reached the NLCS.
Hader's deal with Houston includes a full no-trade clause with no money deferred and a $1 million bonus if he wins the Mariano Rivera Award as the AL's best relief pitcher.
Hader made his big-league debut in June 2017 and was dominant the rest of the rookie campaign, striking out 68 in 47 ⅔ innings with a 2.08 ERA. He was an All-Star in 2018, receiving Cy Young votes as the Brewers came within a game of the World Series.
Hader took over as Milwaukee's full-time closer a year later and racked up 37 saves, averaging 16.4 strikeouts per nine innings, which remains the highest single-season mark of any pitcher with 75 innings in MLB history.
His 165 saves since 2018 are the second-most in baseball, trailing only Kenley Jansen's 190.
Edwin Diaz's $102 million deal with the New York Mets stands as the biggest contract ever given to a relief pitcher.
Lifelong Astros Alex Bregman and Jose Altuve are each eligible for free agency after the 2024 season, with outfielder Kyle Tucker only under team control through 2025.
Josh Hader stats
- 2017: 2.08 ERA, 35 games, 68 strikeouts in 47 ⅔ innings
- 2018: 2.43 ERA, 55 games, 12 saves, 143 strikeouts in 81 ⅓ innings
- 2019: 2.62 ERA, 61 games, 37 saves, 138 strikeouts in 75 ⅔ innings
- 2020: 3.79 ERA, 21 games, 13 saves, 31 strikeouts in 19 innings (COVID season)
- 2021: 1.23 ERA, 60 games, 34 saves, 102 strikeouts in 58 ⅔ innings
- 2022: 5.22 ERA, 56 games, 36 saves, 81 strikeouts in 50 innings
- 2023: 1.28 ERA, 61 games, 33 saves, 85 strikeouts in 56 ⅓ innings
veryGood! (333)
Related
- Woman dies after Singapore family of 3 gets into accident in Taiwan
- Mary Nichols Was the Early Favorite to Run Biden’s EPA, Before She Became a ‘Casualty’
- As prices soar, border officials are seeing a spike in egg smuggling from Mexico
- How Comedian Matt Rife Captured the Heart of TikTok—And Hot Mom Christina
- Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie return for an 'Encore,' reminisce about 'The Simple Life'
- Inflation is easing, even if it may not feel that way
- These 35 Belt Bags Under $35 Look So Much More Expensive Than They Actually Are
- Disney employees must return to work in office for at least 4 days a week, CEO says
- IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
- Rental application fees add up fast in a tight market. But limiting them is tough
Ranking
- A Mississippi company is sentenced for mislabeling cheap seafood as premium local fish
- Did AI write this headline?
- Drive-by shooting kills 9-year-old boy playing at his grandma's birthday party
- The Acceleration of an Antarctic Glacier Shows How Global Warming Can Rapidly Break Up Polar Ice and Raise Sea Level
- Arkansas State Police probe death of woman found after officer
- Tom Brady Shares His and Ex Gisele Bundchen's Parenting Game Plan
- Did AI write this headline?
- Powerball jackpot grows to $725 million, 7th largest ever
Recommendation
The city of Chicago is ordered to pay nearly $80M for a police chase that killed a 10
The U.S. could hit its debt ceiling within days. Here's what you need to know.
Minnesota man arrested over the hit-and-run death of his wife
Bob Huggins says he didn't resign as West Virginia basketball coach
'We're reborn!' Gazans express joy at returning home to north
These 35 Belt Bags Under $35 Look So Much More Expensive Than They Actually Are
Maryland, Virginia Lawmakers Spearhead Drive to Make the Chesapeake Bay a National Recreation Area
A chat with the president of the San Francisco Fed