Why the SF Giants got such a good deal on outfielder Harrison Bader

The SF Giants signed outfielder Harrison Bader to a two-year, $20.5 million contract in free agency. That was a cheaper contract than what he was projected to earn so it seems like the Giants got a pretty nice deal.

Bader declined his mutual contract option with the Philadelphia Phillies for $10 million. He wanted to earn more in free agency and he did get a slight raise along with a little more job security as he will now earn $10.25 million per year.

SF Giants got a good deal on Harrison Bader

Bader was projected to earn a two-year, $26 million contract so the Giants were smart to wait a bit so his price would come down. Bader reportedly wanted a three-year contract which would have been a bit risky considering Bader is 31 and he has a lengthy injury history.

Perhaps it is his age and that injury history which prevented Bader from earning that projection as teams might have been reluctant to commit that much money to him.

But now the Giants know they will be getting a solid center fielder for the next two seasons which is important since the outfield defense has been so poor the last few seasons. Jung Hoo Lee will probably move over to right field which may be a better fit with his strong throwing arm.

It really is a perfect fit for both sides which is why a signing seemed not quite as inevitable as when the Giants landed Matt Chapman a few years back, but it still seemed fairly likely especially once it became clear the Giants weren't going to go for one of the top free agent outfielders on the market.

If Bader can be just average offensively for the Giants and provide his typically strong defense, then he should be a really solid signing for San Francisco. Not only that but he does has some sneaky speed on the basepaths. He swiped 11 bases last season but was caught stealing 7 times so maybe some adjustments from the coaching.

Clearly, the Giants did not want to spend a ton of money this season. The three "major" free agents they brought in all earned contracts in the $10-11 million range which is pretty affordable when one considers some of the other contracts players earned.

It seems like president of baseball operations Buster Posey and the front office had their hands tied by ownership a little bit so they were not able to go after any of the big fish.

All things considered, they filled the major holes they had to fill even if there are still some serious concerns about the strength of the roster going into 2026.