Houston Astros Receive Underwhelming Mark In Re-Grading of Josh Hader Signing

An MLB expert did not think too highly of the Houston Astros deal with Josh Hader in a re-grade exercise.

Oct 1, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros pitcher Josh Hader (71) throws a pitch against the Detroit Tigers in the ninth inning in game one of the Wild Card round for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Minute Maid Park. / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The 2024 MLB season ended on a sour note for the Houston Astros.

After a successful regular season, which saw them overcome a double-digit deficit in the American League West, their postseason stay was a short one. Their seven-year streak of advancing to the ALCS was snapped by the Detroit Tigers in the Wild Card Round, as they were swept.

One of the players who were somewhat disappointing in the postseason for the Astros was closer Josh Hader.

He pitched in both games, recording 2.1 innings. But the Tigers made him work incredibly hard as they recorded four hits and drew two walks. It wasn't the kind of lights-out performance he had been giving most of the season.

Hader certainly wasn’t the only reason why Houston was unable to advance, but his less-than-stellar performance played a part.

While it wasn’t included in the write-up, the lackluster re-grade that Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report gave the signing of the left-handed closer almost certainly played a part. The Astros expect postseason success and they found zero this year.

As a result, the signing of Hader to a five-year, $95 million contract has received a C- grade from the MLB expert.

“Eight losses for a closer is a lot, but the Astros brought him into a tie game on 18 occasions during the regular season. He went 34-for-38 on save chances, though, which is a solid conversion rate. He was also one of just two pitchers to log at least 40 innings with a K/9 of at least 12.5 and a WHIP below 1.00. (The other was Oakland's rookie phenom Mason Miller.)...

The good news is that Hader's slider is still one of the most devastating pitches in baseball, with opponents batting below .170 against it for the eighth consecutive season. And though his sinker did get tattooed on occasion, it was a sub-.200 batting average against his other primary offering, too,” Miller wrote.

The Astros are probably hoping that the 2024 campaign was a blip on the radar when it comes to the alarming home run rate that Hader allowed. He surrendered 12 of them, which is only the second time in his career he gave up double-digits.

It was not something the team expected when they signed him to such a lucrative contract, but relief pitching is a volatile area of the game. Hopefully, he can return to his dominant, run-preventing self in 2025.

If not, his contract could quickly turn into an albatross for the franchise.