4 bold Padres predictions for the 2023 season
By Tim Boyle
3) Padres finish the year with a closer-by-committee and it works
Can the Padres trust Josh Hader? Regularly implosive, this prediction doesn’t have him staying as the closer. Instead, the Padres end the year with a closer-by-committee.
Hader was 1-1 with a 7.31 ERA for the Padres in 19 appearances. He pitched 16 regular season innings for them in what was a rollercoaster experience. Hader was good in the postseason. The regular season woes that led the Milwaukee Brewers to trade him in the first place will come back to hurt the Padres a little too much at times.
Luckily, the Padres have a strong and somewhat underrated bullpen. Robert Suarez and Luis Garcia are two of their better arms. A healthy Drew Pomeranz could give them late-inning appearances as well. So could Seth Lugo whose spot in the rotation might not be so certain after the club signed Michael Wacha.
We can expect the Padres to add yet another high-leverage reliever into their bullpen around the trade deadline. It won’t be someone at the same level as Hader. With the hard-throwing lefty set to hit free agency after the 2023 campaign, San Diego may already want to start looking at replacements.
Hader should be able to put together a better season for the Padres. It still won’t be enough to completely trust him. Look for them to invest in the bullpen heavily and land the best arm they can afford.