The Milwaukee Brewers are listening to offers for star southpaw reliever Josh Haden, according to Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic, with the New York Mets holding interest. The 25-year-old has had two full seasons of pro ball since his debut in 2017 and has been extremely effective on the mound.

So far in his young career Haden has pitched 204.2 innings with an ERA of 2.42 and an incredible 44.6% strikeout rate. The Brewers have deployed the lefty in a variety of roles out of the bullpen and he has excelled in each one, making him a very attractive option for a number of teams.

The Mets make an obvious candidate as Haden was formerly represented by Brodie Van Wagenen, who currently serves as GM in New York and has a penchant for signing and trading for his past clients. This is in addition to the fact that the Mets need help in the bullpen to compete in 2020.

Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 2011. In this picture, Christian Yelich #22 of the Brewers celebrates after hitting a three-run home run against the St. Louis Cardinals in the ninth inning at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, Sept. 25, 2018. Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images

However, they won’t be the only suitors. Haden’s 2020 salary isn’t expected to exceed $5 million and he is under team control until 2023, making him a fairly cheap long-term investment for any club with a want in the bullpen.

The Brewers will probably ask for a lot in return for Josh Haden, due to his low salary, long-term contract and young age. The relatively weak free-agent market for relivers this winter could make any deal involving the southpaw a blockbuster.

Another pitcher is also in the news today as the Minnesota Twins are speaking to free agent starter Hyun-Jin Ryu, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 SKOR North. The former Los Angeles Dodger wasn’t given a qualifying offer by his previous employers so his new team will not have to give up a draft pick to sign Ryu.

The Twins are in need of starting pitching help. However, they don’t have the resources to go after either Gerrit Cole or Stephen Strasburg in free agency, so they will look to the second-tier arms available this offseason.

In addition to Ryu, that group includes Madison Bumgarner as well as Zack Wheeler. La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star reports that the Twins have been in contact with multiple free agent starters already, although no offers have been made.

RELATED STORIES
Major league baseball MLB