Josh Hader signing turned out to be a disaster for the Astros in more ways than one

The Houston Astros made perhaps the most surprising signing of the 2023 MLB offseason, inking Josh Hader on a five-year deal worth $95 million. That deal made him the highest-paid reliever in MLB history in present-day value, as none of that money ended up being deferred.

The deal was so shocking at the time because the Astros didn't need a high-leverage reliever. Ryan Pressly established himself as one of the better closers in the sport, and he had a nearly spotless postseason resume. The Astros also had Bryan Abreu, an elite set-up man, in their bullpen as well. Hader felt like a luxury, and, on paper, made the Astros impossible to beat in the late innings.

Unfortunately, things didn't play out as Houston had hoped. The Astros barely won one of the weakest divisions in the league, and were swept in the Wild Card Series at home by the Detroit Tigers. Their bullpen wasn't the only reason why they lost, but the Hader and Pressly dynamic duo wound up allowing four of the eight runs they'd surrender all series.

Immediately after the season ended, Pressly found himself on the trade block. Sure enough, he was traded to the Chicago Cubs just days ago. Notably, Pressly elected to accept the trade despite having a no-trade clause.

It feels as if a lot of what transpired this past season can be traced back to the Hader signing, which isn't ideal.

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Josh Hader is making Astros regret massive deal in record time

First and foremost, Hader had a down year relative to his standards. He posted a 3.80 ERA in 71 innings and 71 innings of work in the regular season, and while he only blew four saves, he did take eight losses. He was not nearly as dominant as he usually is late in games.

As if that wasn't bad enough, Hader's arrival turned out to be the beginning of the end for Pressly, a once dominant reliever in his own right, in Houston. In an interview after the Pressly trade, GM Dana Brown went into detail about his relationship with the right-hander. It's safe to say things soured once Hader joined the fold.

“Any time you take a major-league player out of a role where they feel comfortable, it’s going to fracture your relationship some,” Brown said on Tuesday following the trade’s completion. “I think we continued to communicate. He was a true professional and I kept it real as a true professional myself. Ultimately, I wouldn’t say (the relationship) was the same as (when) we first met, but I think there was some frustration, which I totally understand from a competitor.”

Pressly, understandably, was not happy that he was being bumped from the closer role to accommodate Hader's arrival, and he wound up having arguably his worst season with the Astros. He almost certainly approved the trade to Chicago because he'll get the chance to close again.

To sum up, Hader's first season saw him struggle, the player whose job he took struggle, and saw that same player get traded in a clear salary dump.

Now, the Astros have four very expensive years left on Hader's deal at the worst possible time. They already traded Kyle Tucker away because they did not want to pay him in the 2025 offseason, and might wind up losing Alex Bregman for the same reason. Had Hader's deal not been on their books, perhaps Pressly would still be in the mix as an above-average closer, and perhaps at least one of Tucker or Bregman would be on their roster.

All Astros fans can do is hope a major bounce-back year for Hader is in store.