The Milwaukee Brewers shocked the entire baseball world when they shipped their former All-Star closer Josh Hader off to the San Diego Padres.
Now, they don’t look so crazy for having done that.
While Taylor Rogers hasn’t exactly been what they were hoping for, Hader’s struggles out in San Diego have been worse, as he’s posted a 23.14 ERA and lost the closer’s job.
There appear to be some Brewers fans who are taking pleasure in the fact that Hader is having a rough time adjusting to San Diego.
But Brewers insider Doug Russell has a message for any fan who takes pleasure in Hader’s recent struggles.
No Brewers fan should take any pleasure in Josh Hader’s failures in San Diego. Where would the Brewers have been the last four years without him? He’s having a brutal time of it right now and is getting enough grief from Padres fans.
— Doug Russell (@DougRussell) August 28, 2022
Don’t Hate On Hader
Russell brings up a lot of good points here.
The Brewers would not be in the postseason four straight years without Hader.
Up until this season, he had been the best closer in all of baseball and his electric fastball was something that opposing hitters had a hard time hitting.
Brewers fans are allowed to be somewhat relieved about the trade given his struggles, but they should not be celebrating his misfortunes.
Hader represented the Brewers organization well for the seven seasons he was there.
He enjoyed playing in front of the fans in Milwaukee and was a key piece in their run of success.
It’s not like he spurned an offer in free agency and left a bad taste in the Brewers’ mouths.
Hader was simply traded at the deadline.
Russell is correct to point out that Hader didn’t ask to be traded and doesn’t deserve all the hate he’s getting from Milwaukee fans, especially since he’s dealing with enough backlash from Padres fans.
Let’s hope that any Brewers fan celebrating Hader’s struggles takes Russell’s message to heart.
NEXT: Andrew McCutchen Is Heating Up For The Brewers
