Veteran outfielder views joining SF Giants as “perfect fit”

On Monday, the SF Giants reportedly signed veteran outfielder Harrison Bader on a two-year deal. He is excited to join San Francisco, and views it as a “perfect fit.”

Veteran outfielder views joining SF Giants as “perfect fit”

Bader joined Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman on The Show podcast to discuss the signing. He highlighted some of his connections to current Giants players, including Matt Chapman and Willy Adames.

Bader knows Adames well from their time as division rivals in the NL Central. Bader spent the bulk of his career with the St. Louis Cardinals, whereas Adames appeared in four seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers.

The nine-year veteran also has ties to new Giants coach Jayce Tingler. Tingler managed the San Diego Padres for two seasons before joining the Minnesota Twins as a bench coach for the past four seasons. Their paths crossed in 2025, when Bader spent the first half of the year with the Twins.

Bader highlighted the opportunity as to why San Francisco is such a good fit. They have a defensive need in the outfield and plenty of at-bats, so the speedy outfielder will assume an everyday role with the Giants.

Aside from years and guaranteed money, playing time is often a major factor in free agents picking a team. There is a clear path to playing time in the Giants’ lineup for Bader. 

Outfield defense was a major problem for the Giants. They put up -21 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) and -18 Outs Above Average (OAA), which was 28th and 30th, respectively, among outfield defenses in 2025. For a team that views its identity as pitching and defense, they just could not continue this trend.

The addition of Bader should help in that regard. He will likely take over in center field, shifting Jung Hoo Lee to right field. Lee has the speed and arm to become a good right fielder. This is a better defensive alignment. 

Bader has been one of the best defensive outfielders since his debut in 2017. He continued that trend last season, as he tallied 13 DRS and six OAA. 

The right-handed hitter also had a career year, recording a .796 OPS in 501 plate appearances split between the Twins and Philadelphia Phillies. Though, there were several regression indicators in his offensive profile, such as a likely unsustainable .359 babip. He has put up a respectable.714 OPS in his career.