Josh Hader teases return to Brewers with franchise record in his sights

Few, if any, relief pitchers have had as much success in a Milwaukee Brewers uniform as Josh Hader. The electric southpaw spent the first five and a half seasons of his MLB career with the Brew Crew and racked up four All-Star Game appearances, three NL Reliever of the Year Awards, and 125 saves, despite not serving as the team's primary closer until his third year in the majors.

The Brewers controversially traded Hader to the San Diego Padres at the 2022 trade deadline while they were in first place in the NL Central. Following the trade, the Brewers plummeted, missed the postseason, and have since resorted to trading their soon-to-be-departing stars in the offseason rather than the middle of the summer.

Before Hader's tenure in Milwaukee abruptly came to an end, the unhittable left-hander was approaching a franchise record. His aforementioned 125 saves with the Brewers are just eight fewer than Dan Plesac's 133 franchise record. If Hader himself is to be believed, that frustratingly narrow gap could still be closed before his major league career comes to an end.

Josh Hader jokes about late-career return to Brewers to chase down Dan Plesac's franchise saves record

While appearing on MLB Network before the Houston Astros' game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Plesac, a regular on the network, joked that he orchestrated the deadline deal that sent Hader to San Diego to ensure that he didn't surpass Plesac's franchise saves record. Hader responded by saying, "I'm hoping some time in my career, maybe late I can just sneak on back for a couple more."

It was obviously a lighthearted response, not rooted in seriousness, from Hader, but one that makes Brewers fans wonder whether or not the southpaw could return to the Cream City before his playing career is over.

Hader's career is aging very well, which some were skeptical of given his unique mechanics. However, after a 2022 season that Hader, the Brewers, and the Padres would all like to forget, the All-Star closer has been dominant. During the last four seasons, the three most recent of which have come with the Houston Astros, Hader has posted a 2.18 ERA and an incredible 318 strikeouts in 218.1 innings pitched.

Hader is in the third year of a five-year, $95 million contract and will be 35 when he becomes a free agent ahead of the 2029 season. If he continues to pitch as he has during the last four years for the remainder of his contract with the Astros, he could certainly earn a significant multi-year deal when he hits the free agent market once again. Said deal likely won't be given out by the Brewers, who tend not to make long-term investments into relief pitchers, especially ones at the end of their careers.

Perhaps the contract after his next one could be with the Brewers. Maybe a near-40-year-old Hader could step into the Brewers' bullpen and collect those nine saves he needs to pass Plesac, but more likely Hader's chances of claiming the franchise record have already passed. Never say never, but it would be a shock to see Hader back in a Brewers' uniform before the end of his career.

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