10 best Angels free agent targets to pursue this offseason

8) Josh Hader

Josh Hader is one of the best relievers in baseball. I'd argue he's the best left-handed reliever in baseball. He posted a 1.28 ERA in 61 appearances for the Padres this season, making his fifth all-star team in the last eight years. If the Angels were to sign him, he'd step right in and make a weakness a possible strength with guys like Carlos Estevez, Jose Soriano, Ben Joyce, and Sam Bachman setting up.

There are a couple of problems that would come with signing Hader. First, the contract. Hader is going to get close to, if not more than the $102 million over five years Edwin Diaz got from the Mets in 2022. If Hader were to get more money than Diaz he'd have the richest contract for a reliever in MLB history. Paying a position that comes with that much volatility is a risk, even if it's Hader. We've seen him have his moments where he suddenly isn't usable.

Another problem would be the Angels having to forfeit draft capital to bring him aboard thanks to the Qualifying Offer San Diego gave to him. This is an Angels team that really can't afford to continue giving up high draft picks, but would have to in order to sign Hader.

While those are two massive areas of concern, there's no doubt that a Hader addition would be an exciting one. The Angels haven't had a lockdown closer in a long time, and they'd likely get that if they brought him in.