Pirates Could Add $25 Million Outfielder

After declining his $10 million option, the Pittsburgh Pirates could be in the market for Harrison Bader.

The righty is no stranger to the NL Central having spent 2017-22 with the St. Louis Cardinals. He played 14 games with the Cincinnati Reds in 2023, as he's bounced around quite a lot since his time in STL.

Bader has played for the New York Yankees, Reds, New York Mets, Minnesota Twins, and Philadelphia Phillies since the middle of the 2022 season.

Looking for some stability, the Pirates may be able to give that to him. They just locked up Ryan O'Hearn to a free agent deal, so there's no reason they can't go out and sign another player to a multi-year contract.

Bader Projected To Make $25 Million

Sep 16, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Philadelphia Phillies center fielder Harrison Bader (2) gets ready in the dugout against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Coming off an all-around solid season, it's not like $25 million is that much of an overpay for a guy who can basically play anywhere in the outfield.

Back on Dec. 4, ESPN's KIiley McDaniel projected Bader has a two-year, $25 million deal on the way. After betting on himself and testing free agency, Bader is a name who is still on the market and doesn't have a ton of attention with the regular season rapidly approaching.

Pirates fans would much rather add to their rotation or infield, but the addition of Bader provides much more than just a solid outfielder. He proved that at 31-years-old he's still improving and could provide a spark at DH or wherever the team needs him at any given moment.

Brian Murphy On Bader

Bader was one of five free agents MLB.com listed as "better than you think" and Murphy was tasked with Bader's section.

"Bader’s 2025 sprint speed (28.8 feet per second) ranked in the 85th percentile and makes him the fastest player remaining on the open market," he wrote. Keep in mind, Bader has 105 steals in his career, 11 of which came last season. Most importantly though, that sort of speed is needed in the outfield.

Murphy added, " Bader has recorded at least a +6 OAA in every full season since 2018, and his +76 OAA over the past eight seasons is the most among outfielders."

"From 2022-24, his wRC+ was 80 (100 is league average)," Murphy said. "Over 501 plate appearances last year, he turned in a career-best 122 wRC+."

Ultimately, there's a lot to like about a guy like Bader. Spending $25million on him isn't ideal if this team still needs an extra pitcher or infielder, but should they miss out on a guy like Eugenio Suarez, Bader could be the next man up as they continue to swing for the fences ahead of the 2026 season.

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