Josh Hader trade: 3 teams the Padres beat to the punch
By Drew Koch
2. The Padres beat the Phillies to the punch for Josh Hader.
The Philadelphia Phillies definitely could have used Josh Hader for a stretch run in their quest to secure spot in the NL Wild Card. As it is, Philadelphia is locked in a battle with the St. Louis Cardinals for the final spot in the race to make it to the postseason. With St. Louis rumored to be looking to upgrade before the deadline, the Phillies missed a golden opportunity.
The Phillies farm system isn’t stacked, but Philadelphia has enough talent in their minor leagues to piece together what it would have taken to pry Josh Hader away from the Milwaukee Brewers without sacrificing their top prospects.
Philadelphia currently has Corey Knebel, Hader’s former teammate, installed as the team’s closer. Knebel hasn’t been atrocious this season, but it’s plausible to believe that he’s no longer at the same level he was back in 2017 when he went to the All-Star Game and recorded 39 saves for the Brewers.
This was a miss for Dave Dombrowski and the Phillies front office. The second they were made aware of the Brewers intent to trade Hader, they should have jumped at the opportunity. Instead, Hader’s headed out west to play for another NL Wild Card contender.