Photo Credit: Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

This Center Fielder in His Prime Just Signed with the Mets

Originally posted on Last Word On Sports
By Keith Brunner Jr | Last updated 1/4/24

For the last seven seasons, 29-year-old center fielder Harrison Bader has been looking for a team to welcome him with open arms. Since entering the league, he has played on three teams. The Cincinnati Reds acquired Bader from the New York Yankees during the 2023 season. Now a free agent in his prime, he’s been gaining more attention from teams willing to sign him. Just today, it was announced Harrison Bader has signed with the New York Mets for one year and $10.5 million, per Andy Martino of SNY. Now that he’s somewhere he can call home for the time being, hopefully, we can see a much better and more efficient 2024 out of Bader.

Centerfielder Harrison Bader and the New York Mets are in agreement on a one-year, $10.5 million contract, a source tells ESPN. @martinonyc was on the news.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 4, 2024

Harrison Bader Has Just Signed with the Mets

Bader got most of his hits in 2023 by cranking the ball in spots the opposition’s outfielders couldn’t get to. It was done by hitting bloopers or smacking the ball into no man’s land. The righty rarely hit the ball far into the opposite field. Bader had two home runs, a triple, and one single that went 320 feet or further from right field. He didn’t have a bad season with the Yankees in 2023, but with the glimpse of potential they’ve seen from him, New York thought they would get more out of him last season, which unfortunately wasn’t the case. Harrison Bader’s performance was not great when he got traded to Cincinnati, as in 31 at-bats, he had just five hits, and four runs batted in. Heading back to the Big Apple provides Bader with the opportunity to refresh his career.

Bader’s 2023 Stats

In 98 games with both the Yankees and Reds last season, and 319 at-bats, Bader recorded 74 hits, seven home runs, and 40 runs batted in. He also had 20 stolen bases and a batting average of .232. One of Bader’s best games of 2023 was on May 7th against the Tampa Bay Rays. Bader recorded two hits in four-bats. Those two hits were a triple and a home run, and he collected two runs batted in an 8-7 loss.

This article first appeared on Last Word On Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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