This Dodgers-Brewers Trade Involving Josh Hader Could Actually Work

Josh Hader is on the trade market, and it should come as no surprise that the 2019 NL Reliever of the Year is drawing interest from the Los Angeles Dodgers. Their bullpen let them down in the playoffs, and now they're looking to bolster it for 2020.

The Dodgers have the pieces to get a deal done, too. Sending top prospects Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin to Milwaukee might be just enough for them to swindle Hader away to the West Coast.

At the forefront of the package coming back, the Brewers would be getting the No. 32 prospect in baseball in May. All of 22 years old, he made his MLB debut in 2019 and pitched to the tune of a respectable 3.63 ERA. He also allowed just two home runs and five walks while striking out 32 batters in 34 2/3 innings of work.

Gonsolin, the other piece in the deal, proved himself to be a reliable option out of the bullpen and as a spot starter in his first year in the majors. He managed a 2.93 ERA in an even 40 innings of work.

And to cap it all off, the Dodgers would receive the perfect compliment to Kenley Jansen at the back end. Hader, who struck out 47.8 percent of all batters he faced last year, would be the guy they've needed to truly dominate the late innings of games.

Of course, Hader also has three years of control left on his contract after 2020, and the Brewers could easily ask for more. If they do, then Edwin Rios, a corner infielder who ranks 18th in the Dodgers' farm system, would certainly be enough to get the deal done. He slashed .277/.393/.615 in a 48 at-bat stint with the big league club last year.

It might seem like a steep price for the Dodgers to pay, but it would be well worth it. They have the prospect depth to afford the loss of some rising stars, and at the end of the day, it would net them baseball's greatest strikeout machine.