At 31 years old, Harrison Bader is coming off a strong season with both the Minnesota Twins and Philadelphia Phillies. Bader now has a decision to make in MLB free agency, and the Texas Rangers could be his next stop.
In a recent article from Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report, he predicted that Bader will sign with the Rangers: “New Rangers manager Skip Schumaker was on the coaching staff in St. Louis in 2022 during Bader’s final half season with the Cardinals, and knows what his defense can bring to an outfield…Assuming Texas moves on from Adolis García, Bader would give the Rangers another Gold Glove-caliber defender.”
After a really strong 2025 campaign, expect teams to be heavily interested in Bader. Below, we’ll break down whether the Rangers are the best fit and should be interested in signing Bader.
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In 2025, Bader had some great stats that included 3.9 WAR. The last time that Bader had a WAR mark that high was back in 2021 with the St. Louis Cardinals, when he won a Gold Glove.
Bader’s Baseball Savant page adds some more context behind his success in the 2025 season. Last year, Bader had a Batting Run Value of 12 (68th percentile), Baserunning Run Value of -2 (24th), and Fielding Run Value of 5 (81st).
Does Harrison Bader Fit with the Texas Rangers?
As of now, Evan Carter is projected to be the Rangers’ starting centerfielder. Last year, Carter only played in 63 games, and he had a fine year.
Carter had 1.9 WAR, five home runs, and a .248 batting average. Now, although Bader played in 146 games, his numbers were significantly better.
Bader had a 3.9 WAR, 17 home runs, and a .277 batting average. For just next year, it’s evident who’s going to be the more productive player for the Rangers.
The key difference is age, and that’s what the Rangers’ decision could revolve around. Bader is 31 years old, and Carter, on the other hand, is only 23 years old.
Carter has been in the MLB for three years now, and he’s never played in over 70 games. When you combine all three years, though, Carter has played in 131 games where he’s had 4.1 WAR, 15 home runs, and a .235 batting average.
It’s not as if Carter was just some late-round draft pick that somehow found his way into the starting lineup. Carter was the Rangers’ second-round pick in the 2020 MLB draft, meaning this team clearly has a vision for him.
Still, Bader likely provides more value in the short term.
Texas Rangers Future Outlook
After winning the World Series in 2023, the Rangers have yet to win at least 82 games since that championship year. Based on how the Rangers’ roster looks right now, it’s hard to believe that Bader would change that much for them.
That’s not to say the Rangers are a bad fit, but given that they don’t need to be desperate because they already have Carter, another team will likely make a better offer.
If the Texas Rangers are able to sign Harrison Bader on a fair contract, then this idea makes sense. If not, though, sticking with Carter is completely fine.