The question is whether the Cubs want to commit upwards of $80-100 million to a reliever (I expect Hader to be shooting for the Edwin Diaz deal or better), and an AAV in the $20 million range. I don’t think anyone can seriously argue otherwise. The Cubs, like any contender, would be better with Josh Hader in the bullpen. … Still, I’ll ultimately land where I did last week:
But if you decide Hader is a fit and he’s amenable to a reasonable contract, then you would glad install him as closer and have Alzolay available as your top setup man.
Landing Hader to be the Cubs’ new closer is akin to the Counsell decision, itself, insofar as I don’t believe the Cubs are LOOKING to bump Adbert Alzolay out of the closer spot. It’s certainly fair to raise the possibility, including the potential for Counsell to know how to get the most out of Hader.
