During the trade deadline last year, Milwaukee Brewers Baseball Operations President David Stearns shipped longtime star closer Josh Hader to the San Diego Padres. This was despite the Brewers leading the NL Central by two games. After initially struggling, Hader remained in dominant form as he had been for years with Milwaukee. This move disturbed the chemistry in the clubhouse and the Brewers never recovered. Milwaukee would relinquish first place and never lead the division at any point after Hader left. The Brewers would ultimately miss the postseason for the first time since 2017. However, given the success of now closer Devin Williams, using one of the prospects received to acquire William Contreras, and Milwaukee returning to the postseason, David Stearns has been vindicated.
The Poorly Timed Trade of Josh Hader
Embed from Getty ImagesJosh Hader had been subject to trade rumors both before and during the 2022 season. Given that the Brewers can never retain all their stars, it was becoming a forgone conclusion Hader would be traded at some point either that season or the following year. During spring training, he would go to arbitration and would ultimately lose, leaving him feeling a little disgruntled. Hader also had two years of team control remaining. Teams like the Brewers tend to want to maximize the number of prospects they get back.
Heading into the deadline, the Brewers were leading the NL Central by two games over the St. Louis Cardinals. Despite the division lead, David Stearns made the misguided move of trading Josh Hader to the San Diego Padres. In return, the Brewers received their closer Taylor Rogers, reliever Dinelson Lamet, and top prospects Robert Gasser and Esteury Ruiz. While Hader had been struggling at that point, the move was a shock to both the clubhouse and the fans. When a team trades a closer, in most cases they are waiving the white flag on the season.
The Brewers’ Second Half Collapse in 2022
Embed from Getty ImagesAfter initially struggling, Hader would help the Padres get to the NLCS and came within two games of going to the World Series. The Brewers never recovered from Hader’s absence. Dinelson Lamet would be designated for assignment upon arrival and Taylor Rogers would post an ERA of 5.48 with Milwaukee. The Brewers went 29-31 after the trade, lost their division lead, and would miss the postseason. It was the first time since 2017 that October baseball wouldn’t be played in Milwaukee. Many people point to the Hader trade as the reason why the Brewers collapsed. After the season, Stearns did express his regrets about trading Hader and how he miscalculated the impact it would have on the club.
How the Trade Helped Acquire William Contreras
Embed from Getty ImagesWhile the trade hurt the team in the short term, the move ultimately set the Brewers up for the success they’ve had this season and going forward. During the offseason, the Atlanta Braves were looking to acquire Sean Murphy from the Oakland Athletics to upgrade their catching position. This meant a young promising catcher named William Contreras was now expendable. While Atlanta tried to move Contreras to Oakland, the Athletics had no interest in acquiring him.
The Brewers had catching needs as well and decided to get involved in the trade. In the deal, Milwaukee acquired William Contreras, Joel Payamps, and pitching prospect Justin Yeager from the Braves and Athletics respectively. The Brewers would trade away the centerpiece of the Hader trade Esteury Ruiz to Oakland. The trade has paid huge dividends to the Brewers this season.
Since coming to Milwaukee, Contreras has thrived this season and has arguably been Milwaukee’s best offensive player. He’s put up a slash line of .288/.366/.461 and an OPS of .827 to go along with 17 home runs and 76 RBI. Defensively, Contreras has excelled at blocking and framing. This season out of all the pitches he catches from Milwaukee pitches, he’s been able to get a favorable call on 48.2 percent of them.
The Success of Joel Payamps Has Been a Bonus
Embed from Getty ImagesMeanwhile, Joel Payamps ended up being the steal of the deal. He’s been a reliable late-inning high-leverage relief pitcher for the Brewers. Payamps has served as the set-up man for Devin Williams for most of this season. This was a role that took the Brewers well into the season to find something they trusted. This season, Payamps has gone 6-5 with an ERA of 2.62, 74 strikeouts to just 17 walks, and a WHIP of 1.078.
Milwaukee’s Future Looks Even Brighter
? Robert Gasser brings home Pitcher of the Month honors
— Brewers Player Development (@BrewersPD) July 5, 2023
Since the beginning of June, Gasser has K’d 35 and walked just 4 (top-4 K-BB% among Triple-A starters) while holding opponents to a .248 OBP#ThisIsMyCrew pic.twitter.com/1kE9lWyBwA
It should be noted that the other prospect acquired in the trade Robert Gasser looks to be a part of Milwaukee’s future. He’s currently the Brewers fifth-ranked prospect and is due to make his debut very soon. The players ahead of him are Jackson Chourio, Jefferson Quero, Jacob Misiorowski, and Tyler Black who are all ranked inside baseball’s top-100 prospects list. Gasser should find his name on that list next season as well.
David Stearns Deserves to Be Vindicated
While trading Hader when Milwaukee did was an ill-timed move, it ultimately led to the success the Brewers have had this season and set them up nicely for the future. It’s time to vindicate David Stearns for the Josh Hader trade. Without trading Hader, the Brewers wouldn’t have had the pieces to acquire William Contreras. While the trade hurt the Brewers badly in the short term, it ended up being a blessing in disguise going forward.
For more on baseball, check out Belly Up Sports and follow Eric on Twitter.
