Joe Musgrove's comments on Josh Hader reveal key difference with 2024 Padres

The name Josh Hader is not well revered in the city of San Diego. More times than not, the reaction among the Friar faithful is one of disgust. The San Diego Padres fanbase vocalized those feelings on Tuesday night when Hader entered the ballgame — in the eighth inning.

Hader's time in San Diego, especially during the 2023 season, was defined more by what he didn't do rather than what he did do. Hader saw the ugly side of baseball during his tenure with the Milwaukee Brewers and allowed his disdain for the arbitration process to erode his thinking.

Hader was firm in his stance as closer, and only a closer. Hader made 61 appearances out of the Padres' bullpen in 2023, only once did he enter a game earlier than the ninth inning. This was even more apparent once the season was coming to a close and the Padres' playoff chances were hanging by a thread. In the end, the Padres missed making the postseason by just two games.

The Padres are better off without Josh Hader, and Joe Musgrove knows it

But things are different this season. The Padres have a new manager in Mike Shildt and a new attitude. The Friars just dispatched of the Houston Astros and are poised to make return to the MLB postseason this year. San Diego is the top seed among NL Wild Card contenders at the moment.

Padres starter Joe Musgrove was interviewed after the Padres-Astros series and spoke about his former teammate. While Musgrove didn't exactly throw Hader under the bus or really even speak negatively of the current Astros' closer, the right-hander did reveal a key difference between last year's ball club and the team that's now viewed as a World Series contender.

Speaking to the San Diego Union Tribune, Musgrove said, “Hader was great, man. Hader was a good teammate. He was always there for guys. He took care of the guys well, he worked extremely hard, had a really good routine. He was consistent. But I think when it came down to it, we hoped he would give us a little more in situations where we needed him to be there.”

If you're one to read between the lines, essentially what Musgrove is saying is that Hader was selfish. Plain and simple. And that's fine. Not everyone is team player. And guys need to look out for their contract situations. But if the Padres are looking to return to the playoffs and actually win, they all have to be rowing in the same direction, and certain people will need to make sacrifices.

Hader was looking to get his big payday, and being a month or so away from doing so last summer, he was looking out for No. 1. This year's Padres' team is playing together and playing their baseball at the right time. The Friar faithful are hoping that it pays off with a trip to the World Series.

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