The New York Yankees weren’t alone in pursuing the superstar closer, as the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers made significant efforts to secure his signature. The New York Yankees weren’t the only contenders eyeing superstar Josh Hader. It would be naive to assume that the Yankees were the sole destination for the All-Star.
Astros’ aggressive pursuit and Yankees’ shifting focus
Now that Josh Hader has committed to a five-year, $95 million deal with Astros, scrutiny of the timeline surrounding his signing has intensified.
What’s noteworthy is Josh Hader’s acknowledgment of the teams that vied for his services this offseason.
During an interview on Foul Territory, Hader disclosed that among the interested parties were the Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
While other teams expressed interest, Hader emphasized that none matched the “aggressiveness” of the Astros, who eventually secured his services.
The Dodgers, having already committed over $1 billion to free agents, notably acquiring two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani and pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, could have easily allocated an additional $100 million to strengthen their bullpen. However, the identity of their closer remains uncertain.
As for the Yankees, with Clay Holmes on their roster as a closer and their unsuccessful pursuits of Ohtani and Yamamoto, they redirected their focus to acquiring starting pitcher Marcus Stroman and reinforcing their outfield with Juan Soto, Alex Verdugo, and Trent Grisham.
Strengthening the bullpen, especially with a top-tier closer, did not seem to be a priority for either team. The Yankees’ strategy appeared less transparent until recently, suggesting that they pursued their closer with patience and determination.
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