After playing for both the New York Yankees and Cincinnati Reds in 2023, former Florida Gators outfielder and seven-year MLB veteran Harrison Bader has agreed to a one-year, $10.5 million deal with the New York Mets, according to MLB.com’s Mark Feisand.
The contract is the largest of Bader’s career and a significant pay increase from his arbitration extension with St. Louis in 2022 worth $10.4 million over two years.
Bader joins his former Florida teammate Pete Alonso on the Mets. The two won a College World Series together in 2015, and Alonso welcomed Bader to New York with open arms.
Bader’s best year came in 2021 when he finished with 3.2 wins above replacement (WAR), according to FanGraphs, but that number has dropped to 1.0 since. He’s a career .243/.310/.396 hitter, but it’s the glove that MLB teams are paying for.
Capable centerfielders are some of the hottest commodities at the highest level of the game. There’s no guarantee that Bader finds his way into the starting lineup, but the Mets are banged up enough to have added some outfield depth over the past few weeks.
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