In July, the Milwaukee Brewers infamously traded star closer Josh Hader to the San Diego Padres. A big contributing factor that led to this trade was money. Today, Hader’s 2023 salary was announced as he settled on a $14.1MM deal for the 2023 season. This is the largest arbitration salary ever for a relief pitcher.
Source: Josh Hader, Padres settle at $14.1 million, avoiding arbitration. It’s the biggest salary in arbitration history for a reliever.
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) January 13, 2023
What is on the line for Josh Hader in 2023?
Hader has earned every penny of this salary. Over six MLB seasons he has a 2.71 ERA and 132 saves. He excels at striking batters out and has a career 15.2 K:9 ratio. The 2023 season will be his age 29 season, so he likely has a lot of playing left ahead of him.
Last season, Hader did go through a stretch where he struggled mightily. He gave up 13 earned runs in July and 12 in August. September was a better month for him, but those two months caused his ERA to skyrocket and his season ERA ended at 5.22.
It will be interesting to see how Hader performs going forward. He will be eligible to become a free agent after next season and could be in line for a huge contract if he rebounds and pitches well in 2023.
Follow me on Twitter @tylerkoerth. Follow us @WiSportsHeroics for more great content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in Wisconsin sports, click here!
