Mets agree to sign Harrison Bader to a one-year contract

The New York area native will reportedly earn $10.5 million in 2024

In need of another outfielder, the Mets agreed to sign area-native Harrison Bader to a one-year, $10.5 million contract on Thursday, according to multiple reports.

Bader, 29, hit .232/.274/348 in 344 plate appearances in 2023 with seven home runs and 40 RBI. He started his season with the Yankees before being traded to the Reds last summer.

Bader is considered to be a defense-first centerfielder, as he placed in the 95th percentile in outs above average, 82nd percentile in arm value and 91st percentile in arm strength in 2023, according to StatCast. He is also an excellent baserunner with outstanding speed, although he produced just a 69 OPS+ between the Reds and Yankees last season.

His career OPS+ mark is 93 and he is a lifetime .243/.310/.396 hitter in seven major league seasons. He began his big league career with the Cardinals in 2017 and won a Gold Glove Award in 2021, which also marked his strongest full season in the major leagues when he hit .267/.324/.460 with 16 home runs and 50 RBI in 103 games.

Bader’s career has been hampered by injury, the most recent of which was a groin strain which landed him on the injured list after being acquired by the Reds last August. He began his 2023 campaign with a strained oblique although he did appear in 84 games for the Yankees before leaving for Cincinnati.

The procurement of Bader follows the Mets preferred model of signing players to short-term deals and in the case of the 2024 season, signing players to one-year deals.

A graduate of Horace Mann in The Bronx, Bader was drafted by the Cardinals in the third round of the 2015 draft. If healthy, Bader figures to strengthen the Mets posture in centerfield along with Tyrone Taylor - who the Mets acquired from the Brewers along with Adrian Houser last month - with Brandon Nimmo likely moving to a corner outfield spot.

The Mets are still in need of additional starting pitching, multiple relievers, a designated hitter and presumably an additional infielder capable of playing third base.