Josh Hader

The Baltimore Orioles are eyeing the trade market for closers given Craig Kimbrel's struggles, reports USA Today's Bob Nightengale.Ryan Helsley of the St. Louis Cardinals, Jordan Romano of the Toronto Blue Jays, and Ryan Pressly of the Houston Astros are all reportedly potential targets ahead of the July 30 trade deadline.Kimbrel, a 15-year veteran with 425 saves, has already blown three saves and allowed seven earned runs over 15 1/3 innings. Orioles manager Brandon Hyde recently said he plans to stick with Kimbrel in the role.The Orioles signed Kimbrel to a one-year, $13-million deal in the offseason knowing they'd be without star closer F lix Bautista. The latter is expected to miss the entire season recovering from Tommy John surgery.Despite pitching for a Cardinals team that's last in the NL Central with a 16-24 record, Helsley is tied for the lead league with 12 saves. He's posted a dominant 1.42 ERA and 0.84 WHIP.Romano has recorded six saves in six attempts for the struggling Blue Jays after starting the season on the injured list with right elbow tightness.Pressly, who saved 90 games from 2021-23, has posted a disappointing 5.65 ERA and 1.74 WHIP for the Astros in a setup role behind free-agent acquisition Josh Hader. In spite of a poor 15-25 start, general manager Dana Brown has called the team "too good" to become sellers.Despite their ninth-inning issues, the Orioles own an AL-best 26-13 record entering Monday night's contest against the Blue Jays. Copyright © 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Brewers left-hander Robert Gasser, acquired in the 2022 trade that sent Josh Hader to San Diego, is expected to make his big league debut Friday against the Cardinals.

Houston Astros closer Josh Hader raised eyebrows Tuesday night when he pitched two consecutive innings against the Cleveland Guardians, something he rarely did with previous teams.Hader, who joined the Astros on a five-year, $95-million contract in the offseason, said he's more open to extending himself now that he's financially secure, according to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart."We need to win ballgames, right? And I think with me having a long resting period leading into this series, it made sense," Hader said. "And, obviously, I felt good enough to go for the second inning. That was the biggest thing. This year, my expectations were to be able to be available for multiple innings."Hader's previous reluctance to pitch multiple innings didn't solely come down to the inherent injury risks. He said MLB's salary arbitration system only values saves when assessing the performance of closers, making two-inning outings risky propositions with no reward.In Tuesday's game, Hader pitched a clean ninth inning before allowing the go-ahead run to score in the top of the 10th. The Astros ultimately won the game 10-9 thanks to a Victor Caratini walk-off home run.The Astros continue their series against the Guardians on Wednesday night, having won three in a row after a difficult start to the season. Copyright © 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

What should we do with these struggling players? The post Patience or Panic: Corbin Carroll, Josh Hader, and Nolan Jones appeared first on Pitcher List.