Josh Hader is heading to Houston.
The star reliever has agreed to a record-setting five-year, $95 million deal with the Houston Astros, according to multiple reports on Friday. The reported deal contains a full-no trade clause and no deferred money.
Given that there are no deferrals, it marks the largest contract ever given to a reliever in terms of present-day value. The New York Mets signed closer Edwin Díaz to a five-year, $102 million deal last offseason but deferrals took the present-day value of the contract down to around $93 million.
Hader, who turns 30 in April, quickly established himself as the one game's elite bullpen arms after debuting in 2017. The southpaw has made five All-Star Games and captured the Trevor Hoffman NL Reliever of the Year Award three times over his seven-year career. He's struck out 648 hitters in 388.2 career innings, giving him a staggering K/9 figure of 15.0.
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Hader spent the last one-plus seasons of his career with the San Diego Padres following a 2022 midseason trade from the Milwaukee Brewers. He's coming off one of the best seasons, sporting a 1.28 ERA with 32 saves and 85 strikeouts over 61 appearances in 2023.
The back of the Astros' bullpen now boasts arguably the top 1-2 punch in all of baseball with Hader and two-time All-Star closer Ryan Pressly. Houston is coming off a seventh straight ALCS appearance, where they fell to the eventual World Series champion Texas Rangers in seven games.
