Over the past decade or so, utilizing the bullpen in a much more flexible manner has helped plenty of teams in their run to winning the World Series crown. Thus, there's no surprise that one of the best relievers in the game, lights-out lefty Josh Hader, is drawing plenty of interest in free agency especially after a strong season despite playing for one of the most disappointing teams in the MLB in the San Diego Padres.

And in the early rumblings of free agency, it appears as though some of the best teams in the league are in hot pursuit of the 29-year old southpaw's services. According to Jon Morosi of MLB Network, two of the teams that finished in the final four of the 2023 postseason, the Texas Rangers (World Series champion) and Philadelphia Phillies, are strongly interested in Hader.

“I look at both the Rangers and Phillies as strong candidates to sign Josh Hader,” Morosi said. “The multiple-time All-Star, he is, I believe, the top of the class of free-agent relief pitchers. […] But Hader, when you think about his pedigree, he is the best around. […] Rangers, Phillies, top of the list, pursuing Josh Hader.”

Jon Morosi has a point in that Hader is in a class of his own when it comes to free-agent relief pitchers, and given some of the bullpen question marks the Rangers and Phillies endured during their deep playoff runs, the 29-year old lefty will be such a godsend for them when it comes to late-game insurance. The Phillies, in particular, may want to go all-out for Josh Hader after Craig Kimbrel disappointed for them over and over again on the way to their NLCS exit.

Morosi also added that it's not particularly likely for the Padres to re-sign Josh Hader, since, if the rumor mill is to be believed, look likely to cut costs, as they reportedly plan to trade away Juan Soto.

Hader had a stellar 2023 season for the Padres. In 56.1 innings of work off the bullpen, he tallied a pristine 1.28 ERA to go along with 33 saves, striking out 85 while walking just 30 batters.