Why Brewers won’t repeat controversial Josh Hader trade decision

Two years ago, the Milwaukee Brewers were locked in a heated NL Central race but ended up trading star closer Josh Hader at the MLB deadline. It was a very strange move for the Brewers given that they had a three-game lead in the division at the time, and apparently, it destroyed the locker room and team morale.

David Stearns—who is now the New York Mets’ president of baseball operations—was Milwaukee’s general manager at the time, and he said this past winter that he regretted the move.

Well, the Brewers are not going to make that mistake again.

There has been some speculation that the Brewers could move shortstop Willy Adames, who is set to hit free agency after the season and was involved in trade rumors during this past offseason. But Milwaukee remembers how much the Hader trade backfired, so it seems unlikely to repeat that same process with Adames, via Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

It’s not that the Brew Crew ended up getting a poor package of players in return for Hader. Quite the contrary, actually. They landed a couple of highly-regarded prospects in the deal in left-handed pitcher Robert Gasser (who just recently made his big-league debut) and outfielder Esteury Ruiz. Ruiz was later dealt for catcher William Contreras, who has become a star in Milwaukee.

The issue with the trade was that the Brewers were in the middle of a pennant race and traded an All-Star in Hader. It should be noted that Hader was performing rather poorly at the time, but given his stellar track record, it seemed like an odd move for Milwaukee to make.

The Brewers ended up missing the playoffs that season, marking the only time they have failed to qualify for the postseason since 2018.

Apparently, they are going to be much more careful at the trade deadline this time around.

Willy Adames and the Brewers look like legitimate contenders in the NL