Cardinals Should Reunite With $10.5 Million Gold Glove Center Fielder

The Cardinals need to make a move or two.

Oct 13, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; New York Mets outfielder Harrison Bader (44) makes a throw to home plate against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the eighth inning during game one of the NLCS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images | Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals have been quiet this offseason. While they have been unable to trade Nolan Arenado, that certainly isn't a good excuse for them to not do anything this winter.

Even with the team looking to cut payroll, they have some holes to fill. One of those holes is a right-handed bat for the bench. The lineup is very left-handed dominant and a righty bat could help balance things out a bit for St. Louis.

Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report lists former Cardinal Harrison Bader as the top available center field option. Perhaps St. Louis could reunite with the former fan favorite.

"Bader landed a one-year, $10.5 million deal from the Mets in free agency last offseason, and he once again provided a solid mix of power (12 HR), speed (17 SB) and defense (7.7 DEF) while logging a career-high 437 plate appearances. He can be a terrific fourth outfielder for a contending team or a solid everyday center fielder."

Bader struggled a bit at the plate, hitting just .236 in 2024. However, he also hit 12 home runs and showed that he does still possess some power.

The 30-year-old outfielder was one of five Cardinals to win a Gold Glove back in 2021. He would certainly be an upgrade over Michael Siani as a fourth outfielder for St. Louis and could provide some power and elite defense.

Bader was with St. Louis from 2017-22 before being traded to the New York Yankees. We'll see if the Cardinals pursue a reunion.

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