Dodgers Never Made An Offer to Free Agent Closer Last Winter: Report

Maren Angus-Coombs | May 22, 2024

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The free agency of reliever Josh Hader made for a unique offseason. On one hand, he was one of the best closers in the league — on the other hand, he didn't have any offers.

Hader has spent the last four seasons working under self-imposed usage rules. Alongside his agent, Jeff Berry, Hader became the first known reliever to place such strict restrictions on himself. It was all put in place to keep himself healthy.

"From the outside looking in, some people would say it's selfish; some people feel like players should do what they're told," Hader told Buster Olney of ESPN. "But if I get hurt, I'm not able to work. Sometimes you have to protect yourself."

Until April 30, Hader hadn't made a two-inning appearance since, Sept. 7, 2019, Who knew what kind of impact that would have on his free agency?

Olney wrote the following on Tuesday:

"The Los Angeles Dodgers checked in, the New York Yankees checked in, other teams checked in. Team doctors reviewed his medical records, which sources from multiple front offices described as "very unusual" because they didn't reflect the wear and tear normally seen for a reliever with as many years of service as Hader. But no offers. Berry was flummoxed."

Ultimately, Hader didn't want to be overused without a long-term commitment. Now that he secured a five-year, $95 million commitment from the Houston Astros, he and Berry told Olney the story behind his self-imposed limitations.

He lost his arbitration hearing in 2019 and went unsigned for months this winter in what Berry believes is a "lack of acknowledgment of his importance to a roster." For some reason, teams believe relievers are disposable and one agent interview by Olney compared them to running backs in the National Football League.

The reliever's value has somehow been placed on save totals and without them, arbitration hearings don't side with the player. In Hader's 2019 case, the Milwaukee Brewers presented social media posts from when he was a teenager that worked against him too.

"What I heard in that room was how they valued relievers," Hader recalled, "and it was 100 percent based on saves."

The Brewers told Berry that Hader would make his money in free agency, but Berry got creative. He basically told Hader that the Brewers couldn't have their cake and eat it too. Hader agreed and together they developed his restrictions.

Craig Counsell, the manager at the time, surprisingly agreed with Hader and when the Brewers traded Hader to San Diego midway through the 2022 season, he and Berry asked that his restrictions remain intact.

Hader was successful with the Padres but talks never advanced to a long-term deal. Berry contacted the Texas Rangers, but they didn't have spending flexibility with their television deal in limbo.

But, the Houston Astros pulled through in the 11th hour after losing reliever Kendall Graveman to shoulder surgery in mid-January. Hader got the long-term commitment that he had been longing for and is now all in.

"Any way they want," Hader said. "They made a commitment to me, and I'll make a commitment to them."