Brewers Trade Deadline: Crew Shockingly Trades Josh Hader To Padres In Blockbuster

A stone cold stunner at the 2022 Trade Deadline! The Milwaukee Brewers, a first place team, have traded their All Star closer, Josh Hader, to the San Diego Padres in a blockbuster deal.

For years and years, reports of teams being interested in Josh Hader and the Brewers listening on him never turned into anything. Then on the day before the Trade Deadline, David Stearns finally pulled the trigger on a deal.

The Milwaukee Brewers have pulled off the shocker of the Trade Deadline, sending Josh Hader to the Padres for a package of four players.

We all know how good Hader is and how valuable he is. We also know the Brewers need some help with this roster, so what did they acquire for him?

To lead the package is the Padres current closer Taylor Rogers. Rogers was traded to San Diego earlier this year from Minnesota. He’s also been a little up and down lately. He has 28 saves but a 4.35 ERA on the season. Devin Wiliams figures to move into the closer’s role for Milwaukee but Rogers can handle those duties as well if Craig Counsell so chooses.

The big player to help the Brewers offense is Esteury Ruiz, a young hot hitting outfielder. Across Double-A and Triple-A this year, Ruiz is hitting .333 with a 1.027 OPS, 13 home runs, and 60(!) stolen bases. He’s earned a short stint in the big leagues this year for San Diego but there wasn’t much room for playing time for him.

Now, in Milwaukee, Ruiz can roam centerfield and play every single day. He’s lightning fast and a menace on the basepaths but also has some power.

Another top prospect in this deal is Robert Gasser, a Day 1 selection in the MLB Draft last season. He’s an analytics-friendly pitching prospect that should thrive in the Brewers system. This season he has 115 Ks in 90.1 IP with a 4.18 ERA. Gasser has three above average pitches and immediately becomes one of the top pitching prospects in the Brewers organization.

Finally, there’s Dinelson Lamet, he’s not a prospect as he has a few years of big league experience. He’s had health issues but is overall a very talented pitcher. He had a breakout 2020 season but has been relegated to the bullpen this year after dealing with injuries in 2021 and his performance hasn’t been great in a small sample size.

The Brewers have completed a stunning trade. It’s so rare to see two contending teams trade closers mid season, but the rest of the package helps the Brewers. Ruiz can help now in the outfield and they are clear believers in his offensive potential. Lamet provides some rotation depth and can be the 6th starter if need be, and Gasser is for the future.

The craziness of the Trade Deadline is only just starting. David Stearns clearly has more moves up his sleeve before the Deadline is up.