The Milwaukee Brewers have long been praised for their unconventional moves, but one move that didn’t work out was the trade of All-Star closer Josh Hader.
Despite sitting in first place in the National League Central with a 57-45 record, the Brewers made the shocking decision to deal Hader to the San Diego Padres for an unimpressive four-player package. The Brewers’ thinking was that their deep bullpen, headlined by Devin Williams, could withstand the loss of Hader and that veteran left-hander Taylor Rogers could adequately fill Hader’s shoes without the looming threat of free agency.
Though Hader would have one of the worst stretches of his career in his first month with the Padres, the deal would blow up in the Brewers’ faces. Rogers quickly proved to be a poor replacement for Hader, posting a 5.48 ERA and allowing six home runs in just 24 innings, and neither Robert Gasser nor Esteury Ruiz, the two prospects acquired in the trade, have amounted to much with the Brewers thus far. Most importantly, the Brewers players were left to question their front office’s confidence in them, and that was perhaps reflected in their 29-31 record after the trade that kept them out of the postseason.
Nearly three years later, the Brewers find themselves with a similar decision at hand. Their 46-36 record has them in possession of the second wild card and just two games back of the first-place Chicago Cubs. At the same time, they could hold the most valuable asset on the market in ace Freddy Peralta. The 29-year-old right-hander is in the midst of another fantastic campaign with a 2.90 ERA and 98 strikeouts, but like Hader back in 2022, he only has a year and a half left on his contract.
As was the case in the Hader deal, there is an argument for the Brewers to flip a player they will almost certainly lose in free agency, perhaps acquiring a younger starting pitcher with more years of control and some prospects in the process. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, however, believes that the Brewers should learn from the lessons of three years ago and keep their ace for a postseason push.
“Peralta, on track for potentially his best season, is signed for a below-market $8 million salary both this season and next,” Rosenthal wrote. “Trading him at the deadline – after an offseason in which the Brewers parted with Hader’s successor, Devin Williams, and lost shortstop Willy Adames to free agency – likely would not be received well, both inside and outside the clubhouse.”
Although they have a long history of early postseason exits, the combination of Peralta and electric rookies Jacob Misiorowski and Logan Henderson gives them a playoff rotation with unprecedented upside. Pulling the plug on that because of Peralta’s contract would be a massive blow to a team that has already exceeded expectations in 2025.
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