The Giants might have gotten themselves an “everyday guy.”
San Francisco acquired veteran Harrison Bader this MLB offseason to add a new starter in center field and bolster the team’s defense in the outfield.
The signing made sense for the Giants, whose outfield had the worst fielding percentage during the 2025 MLB season, and for Bader, coming to San Francisco also seemed like the right fit.
“The biggest thing was the opportunity for me,” Bader told NBC Sports Bay Area’s Alex Pavlovic on Tuesday at MLB spring training.
“Everybody wants to talk about free agency contracts and money, and that’s fine. I understand, but in order to get more money and get more years under your belt and be effective, you need opportunity.
“You need to be on the field. You need to be on the field as often as possible. It’s always been my goal to play as many innings in center field and get as many at-bats as possible in a given season.”
During the 2025 MLB season, Bader started in 79 games with the Minnesota Twins and in 43 games with the Philadelphia Phillies after being traded. With plenty of experience under his belt, the 31-year-old veteran should be able to seamlessly plug into the Giants’ outfield on a regular basis.
“For me, the Giants made perfect sense because of the opportunity, and I imagine that being an intense role in center field where I’m playing a lot more than I have in the past,” Bader said.
“You know, I’ve really been training for that my entire career. I think many organizations enjoy plugging and playing and platooning and whatnot, but I’m gonna continue to prove that I don’t need to be platooned or plugged in or out. I can really hold it down at center field, and I think just receiving that opportunity here is great.”
Bader won the Gold Glove award in 2021, proving his defensive prowess that can benefit San Francisco. Offensively, the Bronx native had a career high in batting average with .277, and home runs with 17 during the 2025 MLB season with the Twins and the Phillies.
“I’m just looking forward to proving that every single day and taking on that workload and being that center piece that the Giants are looking for, and I’m just gonna play with the best of my abilities as often as I can,” Bader added.
“Outside of the money and all that stuff that people love talking about with free agency, having a landing spot for an opportunity is most important.”
If he continues to be a defensive threat in the outfield and records similar numbers as his career year in 2025, Bader can turn out to be a massive acquisition for the Giants.
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