The Houston Astros made a big splash on Friday by signing All-Star closer Josh Hader to a five-year deal. Hader was considered one of the top remaining players on the free agent market.

Reportedly, Hader will receive an annual salary of $19 million, bringing the value of the deal to $95 million. His contract has a full no-trade close and doesn’t contain any deferrals, opt-outs, or team options.

Hader’s deal is the second-richest given to a closer and trails only the five-year, $102 million contract that Edwin Diaz received from the New York Mets. However, Diaz’s deal comes with $26.5 million in deferred money, and he’ll have to wait until 2042 to receive all of his money.

Hader spent the 2023 season with the San Diego Padres, posting a 1.28 ERA with a 2-3 record, 33 saves, and 85 strikeouts. The 29-year-old player made the All-MLB First Team and earned his fifth All-Star nod.

The Astros had to change their approach to free agency in order to acquire Hader. Since Jim Crane acquired the franchise in 2011, the Astros never gave a free agent a contract longer than four years or richer than $58.5 million.

However, it might be well worth it for the Houston team. With Hader joining talented set-up man Bryan Abreu and two-time All-Star reliever Ryan Pressly, the Astros might well have the best bullpen in baseball.

The post Astros and All-Star Closer Josh Hader Agree to 5-Year, $95 Million Deal appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Both the stats and the eye test showed that no one was better at the end of the games in 2021 than Milwaukee Brewers lefty Josh Hader and Chicago White Sox closer Liam Hendriks. And the panel of voters for the AL and NL Reliever of the Year awards agreed.

The MLB announced on Wednesday that Hader and Hendriks were named the best relievers in their respective leagues for this past season. Hader got the Trevor Hoffman Award as NL Reliever of the Year, while Hendriks was named the recipient of the Mariano Rivera Award as the AL Reliever of the Year.

Introduced for the first time in 2015, the Reliever of the Year honor is awarded by a panel of former relievers. The panel for 2021 consisted of Dennis Eckersley, Trevor Hoffman, Rollie Fingers, John Franco, Mariano Rivera, Lee Smith, and Billy Wagner.

Josh Hader, who was named NL Reliever of the Year on two previous occasions, played 60 games this past campaign and finished 42 of them. He posted a career-best 1.23 ERA while making 102 strikeouts and having 34 saves.

Liam Hendriks finished 58 out of 69 games he played in 2021. He had a 2.54 ERA to go with 113 strikeouts and 38 saves. This year’s AL Reliever of the Year award was second in Hendriks’ career.

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Aroldis Chapman of the New York Yankees and Josh Hader of the Milwaukee Brewers were named the American League and National League Relievers of the Year on Saturday.

Chapman, the closer for the Yankees, earned the award after posting a spectacular season. The Cuba native put up a 2.21 ERA in his pressure-packed job, recording 37 saves and striking out 85 batters in 57 innings pitched.

He was New York’s go-to man in close games in the final innings, and it’s safe to say that his five-year, $86 million contract is working out nicely.

He was named an All-Star for the second consecutive season.

Hader was also fantastic in 2019, posting a 2.62 ERA in 61 appearances for the Brewers, recording 37 saves. He posted mind-boggling strikeout numbers, managing to make 138 batters whiff in only 75.2 innings.

He, too, was named an All-Star for the second season in a row. It’s also the second consecutive year that the lefty has won the NL Reliever of the Year Award after an equally impressive 2018 campaign.

The only real blemish in Hader’s 2019 season was blowing a save to lose the game for the Brewers in the ninth inning of the NL Wild Card Game, but it was an impressive season for the Florida native nonetheless.

The post Aroldis Chapman and Josh Hader Named MLB Relievers of the Year appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Houston Astros made a big splash on Friday by signing All-Star closer Josh Hader to a five-year deal. Hader was considered one of the top remaining players on the free agent market.

Reportedly, Hader will receive an annual salary of $19 million, bringing the value of the deal to $95 million. His contract has a full no-trade close and doesn’t contain any deferrals, opt-outs, or team options.

Hader’s deal is the second-richest given to a closer and trails only the five-year, $102 million contract that Edwin Diaz received from the New York Mets. However, Diaz’s deal comes with $26.5 million in deferred money, and he’ll have to wait until 2042 to receive all of his money.

Hader spent the 2023 season with the San Diego Padres, posting a 1.28 ERA with a 2-3 record, 33 saves, and 85 strikeouts. The 29-year-old player made the All-MLB First Team and earned his fifth All-Star nod.

The Astros had to change their approach to free agency in order to acquire Hader. Since Jim Crane acquired the franchise in 2011, the Astros never gave a free agent a contract longer than four years or richer than $58.5 million.

However, it might be well worth it for the Houston team. With Hader joining talented set-up man Bryan Abreu and two-time All-Star reliever Ryan Pressly, the Astros might well have the best bullpen in baseball.

The post Astros and All-Star Closer Josh Hader Agree to 5-Year, $95 Million Deal appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Both the stats and the eye test showed that no one was better at the end of the games in 2021 than Milwaukee Brewers lefty Josh Hader and Chicago White Sox closer Liam Hendriks. And the panel of voters for the AL and NL Reliever of the Year awards agreed.

The MLB announced on Wednesday that Hader and Hendriks were named the best relievers in their respective leagues for this past season. Hader got the Trevor Hoffman Award as NL Reliever of the Year, while Hendriks was named the recipient of the Mariano Rivera Award as the AL Reliever of the Year.

Introduced for the first time in 2015, the Reliever of the Year honor is awarded by a panel of former relievers. The panel for 2021 consisted of Dennis Eckersley, Trevor Hoffman, Rollie Fingers, John Franco, Mariano Rivera, Lee Smith, and Billy Wagner.

Josh Hader, who was named NL Reliever of the Year on two previous occasions, played 60 games this past campaign and finished 42 of them. He posted a career-best 1.23 ERA while making 102 strikeouts and having 34 saves.

Liam Hendriks finished 58 out of 69 games he played in 2021. He had a 2.54 ERA to go with 113 strikeouts and 38 saves. This year’s AL Reliever of the Year award was second in Hendriks’ career.

The post Josh Hader and Liam Hendriks Named Relievers of the Year appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Aroldis Chapman of the New York Yankees and Josh Hader of the Milwaukee Brewers were named the American League and National League Relievers of the Year on Saturday.

Chapman, the closer for the Yankees, earned the award after posting a spectacular season. The Cuba native put up a 2.21 ERA in his pressure-packed job, recording 37 saves and striking out 85 batters in 57 innings pitched.

He was New York’s go-to man in close games in the final innings, and it’s safe to say that his five-year, $86 million contract is working out nicely.

He was named an All-Star for the second consecutive season.

Hader was also fantastic in 2019, posting a 2.62 ERA in 61 appearances for the Brewers, recording 37 saves. He posted mind-boggling strikeout numbers, managing to make 138 batters whiff in only 75.2 innings.

He, too, was named an All-Star for the second season in a row. It’s also the second consecutive year that the lefty has won the NL Reliever of the Year Award after an equally impressive 2018 campaign.

The only real blemish in Hader’s 2019 season was blowing a save to lose the game for the Brewers in the ninth inning of the NL Wild Card Game, but it was an impressive season for the Florida native nonetheless.

The post Aroldis Chapman and Josh Hader Named MLB Relievers of the Year appeared first on SportzBonanza.