Never let anyone know you’re the smartest person in the room. It’s good advice for both smart people and dummies who want to think they’re intelligent. It’s terrible advice for MLB free agents who should aim for nothing more than to showcase their talents to others. Several important New York Mets free agents remain unsigned—none more notable than Pete Alonso—but from the onset of the offseason, nobody was better than his peers at his position than Harrison Bader.
The golden age of center field studs is long over. Only three qualified at the position last year with an Ops over .800. There were just seven at .750 or better. It’s a “punt” position for offense in the eyes of many executives. If all you get is Gold Glove-caliber defense, you take it.
With this in mind, it remains unexplainable why Bader remains unsigned other than the fact that following a year where he made $10.5 million because he still has contract demands in the same territory.
Has Mets free agent Harrison Bader become less appealing after another down year?
Bader had an all-too-familiar season in 2024. The defense was topnotch. The offense, after a strong start, declined rapidly in the final months. Left off the starting lineup regularly late in the season and merely a bench player in the playoffs, teams have taken notice of what Bader did last year and have responded accordingly.
It’s the second straight season where Bader had a sharp decline. In 2023, he ended up with the Cincinnati Reds via waiver claim. In 14 games, he batted only .161. His numbers previously, as a member of the New York Yankees, pretty much matched what he did last year with the Mets. In 310 plate appearances for the 2023 Yankees, Bader hit .240/.278/.365. With the Mets in 437 chances, he hit .236/.284/.373.
Skilled when it comes to running and fielding, it has become abundantly clear how Bader is not a starting big leaguer. A terrific fourth outfielder, reverse splits last year might have even eliminated him from being viewed as a platoon candidate. He hit .253/.296/.385 against righties. Versus lefties he was at .204/.261/.350. Believing the reverse splits would continue is unwise. How do you pair him with someone when Bader himself has traditionally hit better against lefties albeit a .249/.315/.461 slash line which leaves a lot to be desired.
A major league deal makes sense for Bader but with a large pay cut from what the Mets gave him for 2024. In fairness, it would come with the expectation of a diminished role. Somewhat coincidentally, two of his former teams, the St. Louis Cardinals at 0.1 and the Cincinnati Reds at 0.2 were at the bottom in WAR from their center fielders last year. Because Bader is more of a defensive replacement and part-timer, look for him to snatch on with a team in need of depth behind the starter.
