San Diego Padres acquire Milwaukee Brewers closer Josh Hader in trade

The Padres moved to address the hole in the back end of their bullpen Monday by trading for the best closer in the major leagues.

And what they sent to Milwaukee for Josh Hader does not preclude them from continuing to engage in talks with the Nationals about acquiring Juan Soto, the main prize they seek to upgrade their offense.

The Padres sent the Brewers relievers Taylor Rogers and Dinelson Lamet and outfielder Esteury Ruiz, as well as minor leaguer Robert Gasser, their No. 7 prospect who has been pitching at Single-A Fort Wayne.

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Hader, a left-hander, has saved a major league-leading 29 games. That is one more than Rogers. Hader has blown two saves, five fewer than Rogers.

Of the 16 earned runs Hader has allowed, nine came in the course of two successive games in which he recorded only one out in July. In his other 35 appearances (33 2/3 innings) he has allowed six runs.

Hader is not due to become a free agent until after the 2023 season. Rogers, who was demoted from his closer role last week after posting a 8.15 ERA over his past 22 appearances (21 innings), is a free agent after this season.

The Padres had been among teams inquiring about Hader for at least two years.

He throws a high-90s fastball and a slider that this season has yielded a .146 batting average (6-for-41). He has been named the Trevor Hoffman National League Reliever of the Year three of the past four seasons. His 0.88 WHIP over six seasons is the lowest in history, and his 15.4 strikeouts per nine inning are the most by any reliever who has thrown at least 300 innings.

The move also creates two available 40-man roster spots for the Padres.