Does Josh Hader Push The Astros Back Over The Top? Fantasy Baseball Outlook

Josh Hader signed a huge deal with the Houston Astros. What is the fantasy baseball impact of this move and what is his outlook in 2024 with Houston?

Free agent reliever Josh Hader signed a historic deal with the Houston Astros on Friday. His total figure falls short of the $102 million deal Mets closer Edwin Diaz netted last winter but Hader's five-year, $95 million contract is the largest for a reliever in MLB history as it does not contain any referrals. Diaz's deal contains deferrals and is said to be around $94 million in present-day value. That, folks, is not a coincidence.

The Astros undoubtedly improve with the deal. Whether or not they seek a trade of incumbent closer Ryan Pressly remains to be seen, but if not, the Astros could very well have baseball's best one-two punch at the back end of their bullpen. For a team that's annually deep into the postseason, that's huge.

Does this get them back over the top as AL favorites? Does Hader's fantasy outlook change with the move to Houston? Let's dive in and answer these questions on a historic day in Major League Baseball.

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What Does Josh Hader's Signing Do For Astros and Fantasy Baseball Managers?

The deal is simple for Houston. It makes them better. By how much is another question as their 2022 closer, Ryan Pressly, posted a 3.58 ERA while locking down 31 saves last season and posted a sub-3.00 ERA in 2022. Remember, it was recently announced fellow late-inning reliever Kendall Graveman and his 3.12 ERA from 2023 (2.42 with Houston) will miss the entire 2024 season due to shoulder surgery. This undoubtedly motivated Houston even further to get a Hader deal done.

It was rather shocking to see how badly Hader struggled in the 2022 season between the Brewers and Padres. He posted a 4.24 ERA in 37 outings with the Brewers and then imploded to the tune of a 7.31 ERA in 19 appearances in San Diego. He did rebound to toss five scoreless postseason frames for the Padres that year.

And then came 2023. Hader turned in an eye-popping 1.28 ERA across 61 appearances, locking down 33 saves in the process. His K-BB% actually "dipped" to 23.8% from 27.4% in 2022 and his 3.15 SIERA suggests he was lucky. Regardless of how you slice it, it was a major bounce back, and the 29-year-old reestablished himself as one of the very best relievers in baseball.

For the Astros, they're getting a closer sporting a 2.50 ERA with a 42.2% K% and 32% K-BB% in 349 career appearances. Fantasy owners are getting an elite strikeout closer moving from an 82-win team to a team that has won at least 90 games in six straight seasons and at least 101 wins in four of those six campaigns.

Fantasy managers can look forward to a potential saves leader who could also lead all American League closers in strikeouts. Hader is a strong candidate to be the first reliever off of draft boards this spring.

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