Josh Hader throws shade at former team after signing with Astros

Josh Hader is set to begin the next chapter of his career with the Houston Astros after signing a five-year, $95 million contract.

The five-time All-Star enjoyed a strong season with the San Diego Padres in 2023, posting a 1.28 ERA over 61 appearances. He also earned 33 saves.

But the left-hander experienced some things in San Diego or Milwaukee that he wasn't particularly fond of, particularly during the arbitration process.

Hader discovered that a reliever's worth was purely based off of saves rather than the ability to go multiple innings, which is something Hader had been doing. On Foul Territory, Hader dug into his former teams for not giving him the money he thought he deserved and telling him that going multiple innings wasn't going to help him out in the long run.

"When I was told to my face that that (going multiple innings) is not worth inning, 'you've got to get saves", that's where I was like 'I'm not going to blow my arm out if you're not going to invest in me," said Hader.

Josh Hader throws shade at former teams

Clearly, the way the Padres and/or Brewers went about the arbitration process frustrated Hader, who talked about not only preserving his body and staying healthy but also having enough money to provide for his family.

The left-hander wasn't having it when he was told that his worth was based on saves rather than working multiple innings.

Hader also discussed the importance of having multiple arms in a bullpen to get through a season, while also stating that going multiple innings was never an issue for him. Rather, the fact that the Padres wouldn't invest in him for going multiple innings was what frustrated him.

The Padres missed the postseason, going 82-80 and finishing in third place in the NL West. It's very possible that the lingering frustration Hader felt regarding the arbitration process is part of what led him to ultimately depart the Padres in free agency and sign in Houston.

It also was the deciding factor in why Hader is no longer pitching multiple innings and was used exclusively in the ninth inning to lock down saves.