WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 01: Josh Hader #71 of the Milwaukee Brewers throws a pitch against the Washington Nationals during the eighth inning in the National League Wild Card game at Nationals Park on October 01, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)

In what will be the biggest set of Brewers rumors to follow all offseason, the trade gossip surrounding Josh Hader is not going away.

The MLB Winter Meetings just concluded and while the Milwaukee Brewers made a few signings, bringing in Josh Lindblom and bringing back Alex Claudio, the biggest Brewers rumors story is a move that could have huge ramifications.

It was reported a few weeks ago that the Brewers had made first-team All MLB reliever Josh Hader available in trade talks. There are a large number of teams that are interested, obviously, but the Brewers will have a high price tag on the player they view to be the best reliever in all of baseball.

But if there’s any team in baseball that isn’t scared of a high price tag, it’s the New York Yankees. After signing Gerrit Cole to a record nine-year, $324 million contract, the Bronx Bombers have their eyes set on locking down their bullpen and are among the most active pursuers of Hader, per a report from Ken Rosenthal.

While trading Hader to the Yankees is good in the sense that he’s no longer in the NL and the Brewers would not see him much, it’s tough to like the idea of trading him to one of the most hated teams in baseball.

If a deal were to be worked out for Josh Hader, what could the return look like?

Proposing A Yankees Trade Package For Josh Hader

The Brewers will be asking for a lot in return for Hader. If that price isn’t met, a deal won’t happen. They aren’t shopping him and desperately trying to get rid of him. If they don’t get blown away, he’ll stay put.

If the Yankees were to pry him away from Milwaukee, here’s the package I think it would take to get it done.

Yankees Get LHP Josh Hader SS Luis Urias Brewers Get SS Gleyber Torres RHP Luis Severino RHP Luis Gil

If there are Yankees fans finding this trade proposal and think it’s repulsive and stupid, hear me out on this. Joel Sherman reported that talks between the two teams “did not seem to have substantial traction” and that’s likely because of the asking price being something like this.

This would be a huge blockbuster, involving the Yankees sending star shortstop Gleyber Torres to Milwaukee, along with starting pitcher Luis Severino, who was injured most of 2019 and his value is down because of that. Luis Gil is a big pitching prospect for the Yankees that’s still a year or two away from the big leagues, but would help the Crew moving forward.

That’s a lot to give up from the Yankees, I’m aware of that. They won’t give all that up for Hader, despite how great he is. So Luis Urias gets put in this deal to soften the blow at the shortstop position for New York, although still a downgrade from Torres, to be sure.

What Are The Chances This Deal Happens?

Almost zero. The Yankees are highly unlikely to trade away Gleyber Torres, and pairing a homegrown starter like Severino along with is not something they want to do.

But the Brewers should not be looking for the best interest of the Yankees. They want to get rid of JA Happ to clear payroll for Gerrit Cole, but that’s a non-starter in a deal for Hader. Miguel Andujar is too injury prone and Clint Frazier has been hyped for years but has done nothing to this point.

Andujar, Frazier, and Happ are spare parts for the Yankees. Josh Hader is a key piece for the Brewers. The Brewers should not trade a key piece for some spare parts. This is a key piece for key piece kind of deal. If you want Hader, the best reliever in baseball, you gotta pay up for it.

In all honesty, these two teams do not match up well as trade partners. The Yankees first base options are not inspiring and Andujar at third base is simply not enough to be a centerpiece for Hader coming off an injury-plagued season. All the Yankees other starting pitching options are too expensive for the Brewers to take on.

If this deal were to be offered, the Brewers would take it. The Yankees likely won’t offer it, but they’re going to have to pay a hefty price for Hader if they want him that badly.

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If you have a trade proposal that you think is better, I’d love to hear it. But it better not start with Happ, Frazier, or Andujar.