Regarding Josh Hader’s holdup as a free agent, baseball insider and pundit Jim Bowden stated that Hader is “looking for a deal north of Edwin Diaz.” This would entail a five-year agreement worth more than $100 million. The Mets signed Diaz to a five-year, $102 million contract that includes a 2026 opt-out and a 2028 club option. Diaz is the team’s closer.

These kinds of deals were traditionally reserved for starting pitchers; these days, best relievers fetch top pay on the open market. The 29-year-old Hader has been mentioned as a potential winter target by the Cubs.

Cubs supporters who witnessed him pitch from 2017 to 2022 for the division foe Brewers are already familiar with his style of play. Hader is the dominant kind that clubs desire to have, even if Adbert Alzolay was overall quite productive last year at the closer role. The former Brewer and Padre has made 165 of 190 save attempts and has 388.2 innings of experience with a 2.50 ERA, 2.73 FIP, 0.944 WHIP, 15 K/9, and 3.6 BB/9. He has been nominated for five All-Star games and has won the Trevor Hoffman National League Reliever of the Year Award three times.

In his final season in San Diego, he converted 33 of 38 saves while pitching to a 1.28 ERA and 2.69 FIP. This followed his worst season of his career in 2022, when he pitched for the Padres and Brewers with a 3.45 FIP and 5.22 ERA. Some people may feel more at rest knowing that the closer’s 2022 performance wasn’t necessarily the end of it, especially considering that his 2023 performance was once again spectacular and his 2022 FIP was still respectable by league standards.

Would the Cubs bullpen’s back end become significantly better with this kind of addition? Sure, provided he pitches to his career numbers. Hader is looking for something different, though, and the team’s recent record in terms of developing a bullpen and giving relievers big salaries doesn’t align with it.