Dodgers Interested In Closer Josh Hader, says Sports Illustrated Insider
With two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani now officially in the mix, the Dodgers front office can fully shift their focus to finding starting pitching help for this team. It’s been their biggest need all offseason, but the team needed to secure the big fish first.
L.A. has been linked with the majority of top-tier arms on the open market in their search to bolster the rotation. It’s been reported that they are looking to bring in multiple pitchers, including at least one front-line starter.
Due to the unique way that Ohtani’s contract is structured, L.A. will be saving money each season due to massive deferrals. Ohtani wanted to make sure that the Dodgers had spending power around him after suffering for years with the Los Angeles Angels.
With that extra money, the front office now can heavily pursue help on the pitching front. And one MLB insider is reporting that they are even looking to improve their bullpen this winter.
Insider Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated has reported that LA is targeting former San Diego Padres All-Star closer Josh Hader.
“They are expected to spend that money immediately—and possibly more—as they target free agent pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Josh Hader, according to a source familiar with their thinking.”
Per Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated
He also mentions free-agent starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto, which would give the team an ace-level pitcher at the top of the rotation. But the Dodgers’ being interested in Hader is interesting.
While they don’t need to add to their bullpen, maybe the front office believes that having a reliable, trusted arm to close games will put them over the top. Hader would create a powerful one-two punch with reliever Evan Phillips, giving the Dodgers one of the better late-game duos in the league.
Last season with San Diego, Hader posted an ERA of 1.28 and a WHIP of 1.10 over 61 appearances. He also had 33 saves.
This move would be more of a luxury, but the Dodgers may look to make it happen. This isn’t the first time that the team has been linked to Hader, so maybe they do end up bringing in the All-Star this offseason.
Photo Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Have you subscribed to our YouTube Channel yet? Subscribe and hit that notification bell to stay up to date on all the latest Dodgers news, rumors, interviews, live streams, and more!
