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For former MLB pitcher Dontrelle Willis, the Atlanta Braves should go after San Diego Padres closer Josh Hader.
Willis, who pitched in the big leagues for nine years and was a former two-time All-Star, the Braves will look even more lethal with Hader on the roster.
Let's play Deadline Dealin' 🎲@The_ChrisMyers gives @DTrainMLB potential trade candidates and he offers his favorite destination: pic.twitter.com/8pMuXk7x76
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) July 29, 2023
With the Padres looking wobbly in the National League West division as among the most disappointing teams in the big leagues this season, they have been long rumored as sellers at the trade deadline, with Hader's considered as trade bait.
The Braves don't really have a pressing need to get a closer, as they still have Raisel Iglesias, but Hader can still be a tempting asset for Atlanta, especially with AJ Minter on the 15-day injured list. For Willis, the Braves can continue using Iglesias as the closer in the scenario that they land Hader, who can slide down to a set-up role.
Apart from his resume, Hader makes sense as a trade-deadline acquisition for the Braves because of the fact that he is someone who is about to hit the free-agent market after the 2023 MLB season. He signed a one-year deal with the Padres last January worth $14.1 million to avoid arbitration. Hader was traded to the Padres in August of 2022 by the Milwaukee Brewers for Taylor Rogers, Robert Gasser, Esteury Ruiz, and Dinelson Lamet.
Josh Hader, who earned his fifth All-Star nod in 2023, has a 0.95 ERA and 2.31 FIP along with 24 saves in his first 40 appearances on the mound in the 2023 MLB regular season.
