Josh Hader and Brewers' Are Wildly Far Apart in Salary Discussions and That's Bad News
Josh Hader has emerged as one of the best young relievers in the game with the Milwaukee Brewers.
The 2019 National League Reliever of the Year is finally entering his first yeare of arbitration and has an idea of what he thinks he's worth. Unfortunately for him, the Brewers didn't come close to matching his self valuation, coming in with an offer nearly 50% less than what Hader requested.
Hader submits 6.4M Brewers actually submit 4.1M
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 11, 2020
Hader is seeking a record deal for a first-year arbitration player, hoping to pocket $6.4 million, while the Brewers offered him $4.1 million. Obviously, the two sides didn't come to an agreement, and now the case will head to an arbitrator.
The $6.4 million Hader is seeking would surpass the previous record held since 2009 by Jonathan Papelbon, who earned $6.3 million in his first year of arbitration.
The Brewers couldn't agree with arbitration-eligible pitchers Josh Hader and Brent Suter, and will exchange figures. Stearns won't say it, but the industry sense is that the Brewers are a "file and trial" team, so it looks like those salaries will be decided in a hearing room.
— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) January 10, 2020
Rising revenues should lead to past salary records being broken and Hader is a good candidate to do so. He is already a two-time All-Star in three major-league seasons and would likely get more than $6 million if he were on the open market.
The difference in filings is only $2.3 million but the Brewers don't want to set a precedent where Hader gets record arbitration deals every year. That could lead to an ugly arbitration hearing where the team shares every reason not to pay the young star what he wants.