WHERE WILL HARRISON BADER GO NEXT?

I’ll say this upfront: I absolutely loved Harrison Bader in the Bronx. Sure, his bat wasn’t always the loudest thing in Yankee Stadium, but when he sprinted across the outfield like a caffeinated gazelle or made a jaw-dropping diving catch, you couldn’t help but root for the guy. Injuries? Yeah, they happened—a lot—but when he was on the field, he brought electricity. Because of my Bader fandom, I’m committed to tracking his next moves and reporting anytime a team so much as glances his way.

Now, let’s talk about the Bader saga. Once upon a time (2018-21), he was the total package: a league-average hitter with elite speed and defense that could make a pitching staff sleep easy at night. He looked like the love child of a highlight reel and a Statcast leaderboard. But in recent years, his bat took a nosedive. From 2022-24, he slashed .239/.284/.360—numbers that might earn you a pat on the back in beer league softball but make GMs think twice in MLB. But I'm not ripping on the guy yet, he's a gamer in my eyes.

When the Mets handed Bader a one-year, $10.5 million deal last offseason, they were clearly hoping for a "remember when he was a star in St. Louis" comeback story. Spoiler alert: that didn’t happen. It was the same story Yankees fans knew well—flashes of brilliance mixed with a little too much time spent figuring out where the IL cot folds. The silver lining? Bader managed to avoid the injured list for an entire season in 2024, his first time doing so since 2018. The downside? His bat still wasn’t what the Mets needed to justify locking him into the lineup every day.

Understandably, Bader wasn’t thrilled about being a part-time player. In an interview with Mike Puma of the New York Post, he opened up:

“I don’t handle it well, I can tell you that, But I certainly don’t let it affect the way I prepare, the way I keep focused when I do get an opportunity to go in there and play, even if it’s later in the game. If anything, it lights more of a fire under my ass.”

Look, you have to appreciate the honesty. He doesn’t like sitting on the bench, but instead of sulking, he channels that frustration into preparation. That’s the kind of chip-on-your-shoulder mentality that could make him a great fit for a new team—maybe one that could actually use him regularly.

So, where could Bader land next? Let’s speculate wildly.

The Marlins seem like an obvious choice. Their outfield right now looks like someone randomly shuffled names from their farm system: Jesús Sánchez, Kyle Stowers, and Griffin Conine. Not one of them is a natural center fielder, which is kind of a big deal when you play in a ballpark the size of a small continent. Plugging Bader’s Gold Glove defense into the middle of that outfield could save the Marlins from turning every gap shot into an inside-the-park home run.

Then there’s the White Sox, who may or may not be trading Luis Robert Jr. this offseason. If Robert heads elsewhere, Chicago will have a black hole in center field. They’ve also got money to burn after cutting ties with some hefty contracts, so why not throw a one-year deal at Bader? Worst case, he’s a defensive wizard on a rebuilding team. Best case, he turns the South Side into a Harrison Bader revival tour.

And what about the Cleveland Guardians? Sure, they’ve got Lane Thomas holding down center field, but with his $8.3 million projected arbitration salary, they might want to trade him and save some cash. Enter Bader, who could offer similar defensive value at a lower price. It’s a move that makes sense for a team that loves squeezing maximum value from its roster.

Whether he ends up chasing fly balls in Miami, Chicago, or Cleveland—or somewhere we didn’t even consider—one thing I believe is clear: Harrison Bader isn’t done yet. His glove, his speed, and yes, his occasional streaky bat mean he’ll always have a role somewhere in MLB. And I’ll be here, watching and cheering for him, no matter where his cleats land next.