These three teams should make the MLB rumors come true and make a phone call to the Milwaukee Brewers for Josh Hader.
One of the bigger and more surprising MLB rumors right now is coming from the Milwaukee Brewers. They may not be so inclined to trade reliever Josh Hader but they are reportedly listening to offers for him.
It's rare to see a team focused on contending actually take some offers seriously for a player who could be a big contributor for them. However, Hader, who leads the National League with 29 saves, hasn't been quite as excellent of late. The stacked Milwaukee bullpen already has Devin Williams as an obvious closer alternative.
To help maybe add some offense to a team that hasn't hit much this season and was eliminated in the first round in last year's playoffs for the same reason, maybe the Brewers do make these MLB rumors come true—as doubtful as it may be at the moment.
1) MLB rumors: Padres are a destination for Josh Hader
The San Diego Padres have the same need for offense that the Brewers do. However, they also could use a closer upgrade. Taylor Rogers may have the second-most saves in the big leagues behind only Hader. But with a 4.35 ERA that's just a few points below what Hader has done, it could be a role San Diego is hoping to improve.
The Padres wouldn't necessarily be able to help out the Brewers directly with a trade for Hader. What they could do is give them the prospects needed for Milwaukee to send somewhere else for a bat.
Since MLB rumors started flowing, the Padres have been linked to some pretty big names. They are one of the teams hoping to pull Juan Soto away from the Washington Nationals. They could also be a contender if Shohei Ohtani did become available.
With the Brewers at least listening on deals for Hader, San Diego should make a call.
2) MLB rumors: Twins are a destination for Josh Hader
Hader wouldn't have to travel very far for this trade. The Minnesota Twins, the team that sent Rogers to the Padres in the offseason for their saves leader, Emilio Pagan, are in need of a solution in the ninth inning. Jhoan Duran has been good in the role but inexperience could come back to bite him.
The Twins haven't had the easiest of rides this year despite playing in a division with bad clubs and underachievers like the Chicago White Sox. They are going to need to make at least one major move before the trade deadline passes in order to secure themselves a playoff spot.
Closer might not necessarily be the biggest of needs for the Twins. Nonetheless, an opportunity to pick up Hader could be huge for them if he's able to turn things around. Unlike the other candidates they have to finish off games, Hader has done well in this role before.
The trouble for the Twins might be having enough expendable parts to get the deal done. As a contender themselves, they won't want to subtract anything major from their own roster. Hader's struggles of late make him a less awesome trade candidate for teams looking to bolster their bullpens. They need to know for sure that he's the man for them.
3) MLB rumors: Phillies are a destination for Josh Hader
The Philadelphia Phillies bullpen hasn't been all that bad this year. Corey Knebel and Brad Hand have turned out to be nice additions. They tend to use one of them or even Seranthony Dominguez in the ninth. Adding Hader would give them another option and a far more dominant one when at his best.
Unlike the Padres and Twins, the Phillies do have immediate offense they could send to Milwaukee for help. We shouldn't expect Philadelphia to give up any of their major pieces, though. After all, this is a team built to win because of their bats and maybe get lucky with the starting pitching.
Although the Phillies' main focus is on adding a starter, things can change quickly. If the asking price for the starters is too high, maybe they continue to roll with what they already have or pick up a lesser arm then use any assets they have to upgrade the bullpen further.
The Phillies do have more than enough offense that they could spare something to the Brewers in exchange for Hader. Would they, for instance, trade Rhys Hoskins or Alec Bohm for him? Hoskins could, theoretically, become a strong DH candidate on the Brewers roster. Losing him would hurt the Phillies offense but also maybe open up an opportunity to put Nick Castellanos at first base and find a real outfielder.
Be prepared for anything in these final hours of the MLB trade deadline season. Hader will probably stay put. The Brewers will definitely continue to get calls about him.