Outfielder Harrison Bader has reached an agreement on a two-year, $20.5 million contract with the San Francisco Giants, pending a physical. The deal aims to bolster the team's struggling outfield defense from the 2025 season. Bader, a Gold Glove winner, joins after a strong performance split between the Twins and Phillies last year.
The San Francisco Giants are set to improve their outfield defense, which ranked last in the majors with -18 Outs Above Average (OAA) in 2025, by signing free agent center fielder Harrison Bader. According to reports from MLB Network's Jon Heyman and The Athletic, Bader agreed to a two-year, $20.5 million deal on Monday, with the possibility of reaching $21 million through incentives, per the New York Post. The Giants have not yet confirmed the agreement, which remains subject to a physical examination.
Bader, 31, enjoyed his best offensive season in 2025, appearing in 146 games across the Minnesota Twins and Philadelphia Phillies. He hit .277/.347/.449 with 24 doubles, 17 home runs, 54 RBIs, 61 runs, 11 stolen bases, and 3.9 wins above replacement (WAR), per Baseball-Reference. Defensively, he posted 7 OAA, tying for 18th among outfielders, and ranked in the 85th percentile for sprint speed. Starting with the Twins on a one-year deal, Bader was traded at the deadline to the Phillies, where he excelled in 50 games, batting .305/.361/.463 with five home runs and 16 RBIs. His postseason was cut short by a hamstring injury in Game 1 of the NL Division Series against the Dodgers, limiting him to a bench role as Philadelphia lost in four games.
With the Giants, Bader is expected to take over center field, shifting Jung Hoo Lee—who signed a six-year, $113 million deal in 2023 and struggled with -5 OAA in 2025—to a corner outfield position. Lee recently commented on his defensive improvements: “Without a doubt, defensively, I wanted to sharpen up my skills there,” he said via interpreter Brian Kang at a FanFest event. “A lot of my training in the offseason focused on my work on my defense and in the outfield. I’m really happy about the strides I made and excited about next season.”
Bader's addition addresses San Francisco's need for better range and basestealing, as the team ranked 29th with just 68 stolen bases in 2025. He brings elite defensive metrics, accumulating 76 OAA since 2018, the most among outfielders. The Giants have also added pitchers Adrian Houser, Tyler Mahle, Sam Hentges, and Jason Foley, plus catcher Daniel Susac, this offseason. Bader, a 2021 Gold Glove winner with the Cardinals, marks his seventh MLB team after stints with St. Louis, Cincinnati, New York (Yankees and Mets), Minnesota, and Philadelphia. He was originally drafted in the third round by the Cardinals in 2016 out of the University of Florida, where he batted .313 with 20 home runs over three seasons.
