The Philadelphia Phillies have three obvious needs to address with less than two weeks until the MLB trade deadline: a right-handed-hitting outfielder, a high-leverage reliever, and a No. 5 starting pitcher.
With Brad Keller out for the regular season and the other relievers struggling, the high-leverage reliever has become a much more urgent need than the No. 5 starter and a right-handed hitting outfielder.
The Phillies could use a righty or a lefty reliever, but according to Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report, Josh Hader, a $95 million closer with a 1.47 ERA from the Houston Astros, is their “perfect” trade target at the 2026 trade deadline.
“Philadelphia Phillies (80.9% postseason odds): LHP Josh Hader,” Miller says. “While they don’t need a closer, a dominant left-handed reliever would be fantastic.”
Hader would undoubtedly be a “dominant left-handed reliever.” In 20 appearances this season, the Astros left-hander has a 1.47 ERA, a 3-1 record, 0.9 bWAR, 11 saves, and 29 strikeouts in 18.1 innings thrown.
Hader is the Phillies’ “perfect” trade deadline target, according to Miller, but there are several very obvious problems with a possible deal.
For starters, Hader isn’t even a possibility because the Astros may not even be sellers. Second, Hader has a complete no-trade clause, which allows him to block any move the Phillies wish to make if he wishes to stay in Houston or join another team.
Hader, a 32-year-old lefty closer, would undoubtedly come at a steep cost. His five-year, $95 million contract keeps him under club control through the 2028 campaign.
That deal alone will complicate a trade, but the Phillies’ “perfect” trade deadline aim is completely unrealistic given the Astros’ possible refusal to sell, Hader’s no-trade clause, and the high cost of the move itself.
However, the Phillies would need to be extremely confident in their high-leverage relievers for the 2026 MLB postseason if they could somehow get Hader and combine him with Jhoan Duran out of the bullpen.
