What is happening in the New York Mets? Nearly every baseball fan looks bewildered as the Amazin’ Mets are having an uncharacteristically low-profile offseason. Instead of going around the league, it seems the Mets are far more interested in the New York Yankees roster. After signing Luis Severino, the Mets have signed another former Pinstriper – Harrison Bader.

Unlike Severino, Bader never truly excelled in the Bronx. For a team that urgently needs a pitcher, signing a center fielder makes little sense. Perhaps that’s why this has left the fans as well as experts baffled. 

New York Mets go for another ex-New York Yankees player

Andy Martino just announced on his X account that the Mets have signed Harrison Bader. While that news surprised the Mets fanbase, further details of the deal are more surprising. Bader is set to earn $10.5 million in this one-year contract. It’s a good amount, especially for a player that has been floundering for the past two years.

In his two years with the Yankees, Bader averaged just .237. In 334 at-bats, the slugger managed to hit barely 7 homers. Such was his performance that the Yankees traded him to the Cincinnati Reds, where his average dipped to .161. 

Perhaps that’s why this deal seems confusing. After a 75-win season, the two big free-agent signings of the Mets are former Yankees players. And both of those players were going through the lowest points of their career. Severino, at least, had a few fantastic years. But then the injury bug bit him. 

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Bader is more of a risky short-term signing. In numbers, $10.5 million might not seem so high but when one looks at the Mets’ already high payroll – the weight of this amount increases. But there’s at least one positive that can come with Bader. 

Bader’s good defensive record

While Harrison Bader doesn’t excel at the plate, the story is much different in defense. The 29-year-old is a Gold Glove winner, having won it with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2021. In center field, there are perhaps only a handful of better defenders than Bader. Since 2018, he has recorded 66 outs above average!

Perhaps the Mets too looked on these records while signing the former Yankee. Last season, the Queens club did have a bad defense. As an offensive signing, this former Yankees player could be a risk but defensively Bader could excel in the Mets.

Read more: New York Yankees Drop Out of Shota Imanaga Sweepstakes, Narrow Down Pitching Targets Amidst Crucial Off-Season