San Diego Padres: Josh Hader talks trade rumors, Blake Snell skills and Shohei Ohtani sales pitch

SEATTLE — Josh Hader has been down this road before, so the San Diego Padres closer knows the questions are coming and he's ready to answer them.

It was at the All-Star Game in Los Angeles last season where Hader, earning a trip to the Midsummer Classic as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers, was asked about the possibility of being traded. Just over two weeks later, Hader was on his way to San Diego to join the Padres.

It's deja vu here in the Pacific Northwest as Hader's name is once again one that is being floated out there as someone who could be on the move in the coming days. However, while in Seattle, Hader isn't listening to the rumors or paying any attention to them.

How San Diego Padres closer Josh Hader is dealing with trade rumors

"It's out of my control. I think that's the biggest thing is you can't get your head wrapped up in what-ifs or whatever," Hader said. "To me, it's just going out there every day and making sure that I'm ready to pitch. If something happens, it happens. Just like last year, it's been rumors pretty much every year since I've been in arbitration (2020) that it was a possibility.

"You know, even if I put stress to that, I can't change the result or the outcome of where I would be if it's gonna happen. I feel like it's wasted energy if you're even thinking about that. It takes away from the mental prep going into my daily job. Why add unnecessary burdens to yourself? So that's the way I look at it, control what I can control. Go out there every single day and give 100% of what I got. From there, it's out of my hands."

NEXT: Hader tells what makes Blake Snell so special