The Astros just made a major move to strengthen their bullpen.
According to The Athletic's Chandler Rome, Houston is in agreement to a five-year, $95 million contract with five-time All-Star reliever Josh Hader, one of the best closers in baseball for the last half-decade.
No other reliever has a higher fWAR than Hader (11.3) since 2017. Also best among relief pitcher in that time is his 2.50 ERA and 15.01 strikeouts per nine innings.
Adding Hader addresses the Astros' bullpen issues after losing relievers Hector Neris, Phil Maton and Ryne Stanek in free agency. They also lost Kendall Graveman to injury. With Hader, the Astros now have high leverage options in Bryan Abreu, Ryne Pressly and Rafael Montero, who they hope has a bounce back season from a disappointing 2023.
Here are more details from Rome.
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