NY Mets Sign Former Yankees Outfielder

The New York Mets have added an elite defender for their outfield, signing former New York Yankee and St. Louis Cardinal, Harrison 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

It's a one-year, $10.5M deal for Bader, who finished last season with the Cincinnati Reds after being cut loose by the Bronx Bombers. He's expected to man center field quite a bit to take advantage of his elite glove skills, while Brandon Nimmo can move to a corner in those situations.

Harrison Bader, when healthy, is basically a god-level defender. OAA leaders for OF, 2018-2023: https://t.co/slvoFh4oWB pic.twitter.com/7OoFkeSKzN

— Mike Petriello (@mike_petriello) January 4, 2024

Bader leads all outfielders in baseball over the last five seasons in Outs Above Average, with 66. Kevin Kiermaier is second with 58. He has one Gold Glove on his resume, from his time with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Bader's trouble is just staying healthy. He's only cracked the 100-game mark once in the past four seasons (103 in 2021).  

He's been a below-average hitter in his 7 major league seasons, with an OPS+ of 92. He has a career mark of a .243 average with a .706 OPS. His best year came in 2021 when he had career highs of 16 HR, 50 RBIs and a .785 OPS.

The New York City native is back home. 

Photo: Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports