Yankees still showing interest in acquiring All-Star reliever Josh Hader

Earlier this month reports surfaced that the Yankees were interested in acquiring All-Star reliever Josh Hader and were considered the most active team pursuing him. A couple of weeks later the Yanks are apparently still in contact with Milwaukee and could offer a package headlined by third baseman Miguel Andujar.

According to Jon Heyman of MLB Network teams still aren’t convinced the Brewers will actually trade Hader, but that might not stop the Yankees from making a strong offer.

Miguel Andujar’s name has been floating around in trade rumors all offseason because he’s become expendable after Gio Urshela emerged as an All-Star caliber third basemen in his absence last season. Even though last season was a step back for Andujar his future is still very bright and the Brewers are in need of an upgrade at third base after the departure of Mike Moustakas. Miggy would certainly fit right in as their third baseman of the future.

The Yankees might be willing to trade Miggy if they can get a pitcher as dominant as Hader in return, but it’s going to take more than just him to get a deal done. Hader is under team control through 2023 and he’s been the best reliever in baseball over the last two seasons so it’s going to cost the Yankees or any other interested team a ton.

As good as Hader is I’m not sure this is a move the Yankee should pursue if the cost to get him includes Miggy in addition to one of their top prospects. His role with the club heading into next season is unclear at the moment but he still projects to make a big impact as long as he’s healthy. There are ways the Yanks can get him consistent at-bats now that Didi is gone so I don’t understand why they would trade him to add on to a bullpen that is already great.

If they want to keep adding to the bullpen why don’t they just bring Dellin Betances back? Dellin is coming off an injury-plagued campaign of his own but when he’s healthy he’s been just as good of a reliever as Hader has been and all it would cost the Yankees to bring him back is money. It would also likely only be for a one-year deal in the $8-$10M range.

With Hader, we know the asking price would be huge but there are also concerns about all the wear and tear he’s been through over the past couple of seasons. That could be why the Brewers are even taking calls on him because they might believe he has a shelf life as Joel Sherman of the New York Post recently suggested. He’s been pushed so hard these past two seasons so why not maximize his value now and trade him to another team for a huge haul before he ends up regressing while he’s still a member of their team.