Harrison Bader Landing Spots: 3 potential destinations for former Mets Gold Glove outfielder in free agency

For Harrison Bader, the 2024 season showcased a consistency and offensive awareness that the outfielder has not put forth in years. Now, as he enters free agency, the success of the past season is bound to help his cause.

In 143 games for the Mets in 2024, Bader hit .236/.284/.373 with 12 home runs and 51 RBIs. In addition to setting a career best in runs batted in, the outfielder's dozen home runs were his highest since 2021.

With Harrison Bader's one-year, $10.5 million deal expiring, he is now a free agent. Today, we will be examining some potential landing spots for the Bronxville, New York native.

Top Three Harrison Bader Landing Spots

3. Philadelphia Phillies

Philadelphia Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has made no bones about the fact that this will be a big offseason for his team. Dombrowski has spoken of his lineup becoming too predictable, lamenting that after three straight deep postseason runs, a change is needed.

Last season, a revolving door of players found themselves in the Philly outfield. Now that Bryce Harper has more or less moved to first base, some reports have indicated that the club is even shopping Nick Castellanos. A longtime NL player, Bader has seen a lot of Citizens Bank Park, and after a strong 2024 - has demonstrated that he can still play a full season with relative success.

2. San Francisco Giants

The six-year, $113 million contract signed between the San Francisco Giants and South Korean outfielder Jung Hoo Lee was, perhaps, the biggest flop of 2024. Despite the massive deal, Lee only played 37 games before being relegated to the IL in May for the remainder of the season.

"They could never make me hate 2024 Harrison Bader" - MetsMuse

Although the Giants were able to get some pop from 25 year-old outfielder Heliot Ramos, their outfielder power is not that of a playoff team. Coupled with Michael Conforto's impending departure, Harrison Bader could provide some short-term speed and experience while upper management continues their rebuild.

1. New York Yankees

In late 2022, Bader was traded to the New York Yankees from the Cardinals in exchange for Jordan Montgomery. A Bronxville native, the reception for Bader was warm in the Bronx. In the postseason that year, Bader further engraciated himself with the fanbase, hitting .334 with 5 homers and 6 RBIs.

"Master of his craft, Harrison Bader." - New York Yankees

With Juan Soto very possibly departing the team, as well as Alex Verdugo, the Yankees' find themselves with some blank spaces in the lineup. He may not be Juan Soto, but Bader is liked in New York, and has performed well there before.