That's the spirit? Josh Hader has weird mentality about pitching for the Astros

The 12-21 Astros are in the basement of the AL West, on the verge of surpassing the Los Angeles Angels, which are in fourth place. Houston was considered a World Series contender heading into this season, but has been dealt a bad hand. Injuries to the Astros rotation, as well as inefficiency at first base thanks to Jose Abreu, have kept Houston from reaching their full potential.

Assuming Joe Espada and Co. can right the ship, the Astros bullpen will have to lead the way. The back-end duo of Ryan Pressly and Josh Hader should be the best in baseball. Instead, both pitchers have struggled at times, with Hader more concerned about his innings limit than the Astros overall success. Here is what Hader had to say about protecting himself and pitching multiple innings:

"The team (Astros) invested in me, and we share the same risks," Hader told reporters. "If I get hurt, it’s not good for anybody."

Josh Hader is finally willing to put his body on the line for Astros

Hader increased his price tag by quite a bit when it was reported he was open to throwing multiple innings. Previously, for both the Brewers and Padres, Hader preferred one-inning outings. Times have changed, though, and the Astros signed Hader to a five-year deal. The commitment cannot be one-sided. Here is what Murray reported this winter:

"But Hader, who has predominantly been a one-inning pitcher only, is open to different usage, according to a source, and could pitch more than one inning at a time now that he has secured a long-term deal. Which gives Espada the ability to get creative in deploying Hader, who has statistically been the most dominant reliever in baseball throughout the last 4-5 seasons," Murray wrote.

The main issue with Hader's comment is that he views himself as an asset rather than the member of a struggling ball-club. Considering he is locked in for the next five years -- which Hader references here -- he should be willing to put his body on the line.