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The Minnesota Twins have agreed to sign center fielder Harrison Bader per Jon Heyman.
Bader adds another useful skill set for the team, bringing in a right-handed hitting veteran outfielder known for his defense and speed.
Bader, 30, was available this late in free agency partially because he held out for a full-time starting opportunity much longer than the market gave him reason to. Coming off a difficult season in which he batted .236/.284/.373 for the Mets, he was never likely to find an everyday job. His 143 games played were a career-high, but in many of those contests, he was a pinch-hitter or a late-game defensive sub; he started only 108 games, all in center field. He hit 12 home runs and stole 17 bases, but the skills didn’t quite match the tools.
As a complementary piece and a fourth outfielder, though, he still has considerable value. When he first came up with the Cardinals, he was one of the best defensive center fielders in baseball. In 2019 and 2021, he was worth 15 and 18 Defensive Runs Saved, respectively. He’s thickly built and has already lost a step out there, such that he’s closer to average in center these days, but he’s still a plus in either corner. He retains above-average speed and a plus arm.
That’s perfect for the Twins, because in addition to being ballast against a Byron Buxton injury, Bader could be a platoon partner for either of Trevor Larnach and Matt Wallner. He’s a career .249/.315/.461 hitter against left-handed pitchers, so he would provide the same kind of right-handed power the Twins could have gotten from the likes of Randal Grichuk and Ramón Laureano, each of whom signed Tuesday for very similar amounts in other places. Unlike either of them, though, Bader offers that ability to play center field without becoming a glaring problem.
He’s been less reliable against righties. Throughout his career, Bader has been a streaky hitter, struggling against right-handed pitching (.669 career OPS) but occasionally running into enough power to be playable against them, anyway. He also stole 17 bases in 2022, 20 in 2023 and 17 last year, so he brings a speed weapon the team has been lacking, as well. The Twins had a league-low 65 steals in 2024; they need this infusion of sheer athleticism.
Injuries have often limited his production, but in 2024, he managed to stay on the field for a full season. In the past, he’s been sidelined by groin, hamstring, and oblique strains, a hairline fracture in his ribcage, and plantar fasciitis, so the risk is that he’s shelved at the very time when he’s needed to fill in for a downed Buxton. It’s reassuring, though, that he put together his most durable season to date in his most recent one.
The Mets gave Bader 437 plate appearances last year; the Twins can probably offer a little less than that for 2025. This move dramatically raises their floor, because it shields them against either Buxton’s prolonged absence or regression and platoon vulnerability from Larnach or Wallner. He’s a clear upgrade, for this role, over Austin Martin. The only lingering question is whether this move will force the team to cut money elsewhere. If adding Bader is the difference between being able to keep Christian Vázquez or Willi Castro and not being able to, it changes the equation. For now, though, it’s a savvy pickup.
UPDATE: According to Dan Hayes of The Athletic, the deal is worth $6.25 million in total, with incentives that can take it considerably higher.
A chunk of that will be pushed out to 2026 as the buyout on that mutual option—a reminder, those are hardly ever exercised by both parties—but this is a substantial investment in Bader by a team still operating under some level of payroll constraint. It's a show of real faith.
Matthew Trueblood contributed to this story.
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