Alden GonzalezJan 26, 2026, 07:07 PM

CloseESPN baseball reporter. Covered the L.A. Rams for ESPN from 2016 to 2018 and the L.A. Angels for MLB.com from 2012 to 2016.

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The San Francisco Giants have agreed to a two-year deal worth $20.5 million with free agent center fielder Harrison Bader, a source told ESPN’s Jeff Passan on Monday.

Bader, 31, is a right-handed hitter who’s coming off one of his best offensive seasons and provides a major boost to the Giants’ center-field defense, an organizational goal for the offseason. As a team, Giants outfielders posted minus-18 outs above average in 2025, tied with the Baltimore Orioles for the worst mark in the major leagues.

Bader confirmed the deal on “The Show with Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman,” calling the Giants a “perfect fit for me.”

“Well first and foremost, the opportunity, there’s no doubt about it,” Bader said. “All you can do in this game is just work to set yourself up for the best opportunity possible, and I’ve always wanted to play as many games, have as many at-bats as possible, be on a winning team.

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“… I’m just really, really happy it worked out because it’s very rare in this game that things work out pretty perfectly.”

Bader, who won a Gold Glove in 2021 and continues to receive high marks for his defense, can now slot in as the every-day center fielder, possibly prompting Jung Hoo Lee, a superior thrower who displayed subpar range last year, to shift to right field.

Bader spent last season with the Minnesota Twins and the Philadelphia Phillies, slashing .277/.347/.449 with 17 homers, 54 RBIs and 11 stolen bases in 18 attempts. His .796 OPS was the highest of his nine-year career.

Originally a third-round pick by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2015, Bader has slashed .247/.313/.401 for six different teams since 2017. Bader’s biggest improvement last season was his production against same-side pitching, slashing .300/.369/.476 against right-handers and showing he can be more than a platoon player.

The Bader signing is a highlight in a relatively conservative offseason for the Giants, who have mostly added two starters, Tyler Mahle and Adrian Houser, on low-cost deals. The team is still expected to be in the market for a second baseman.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.