The Houston Astros, on their search for another World Series ring, had one major need heading into the offseason. With Ryne Stanek, Phil Maton, and Hector Neris all walking in free agency, bullpen help was a need for the Astros.
Not only did they get bullpen help, but they did so in the best possible way, landing arguably the top reliever in baseball in Josh Hader. The left-handed closer has arguably been the best in the sport throughout the past few seasons and will give Houston even more flexibility and stability in the back end of their bullpen.
An 8-9 punch of Ryan Pressly and Hader will lock games up for an Astros team that will need to win close games when it matters most.
Players had nothing but great things to say about Hader as he threw live batting practice during Spring Training.
Alex Bregman said he was sharp, Jon Singleton spoke about how different he was to face than what he saw on television, and Jeremy Pena's short response is all fans need to know about how Hader looked in his outing.
Pena had the following to say, according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com.
“I’m glad he’s on our team,” he said.
The 29-year-old Hader is a five-time All-Star, three-time Trevor Hoffman National League Reliever of the Year, and owns a career ERA of 2.50.
His latest stint with the San Diego Padres was as good as it gets, posting a 1.28 ERA with 85 strikeouts in 56 1/3 innings pitched.
Everything that's come out of camp seems positive when it comes to how guys around the clubhouse feel about Hader, including Pressly.
Those two developing a good relationship will be important, given their roles and the impact they'll have on the team.
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