[Giants]

Giants sign Harrison Bader, 2 yrs $20mill. Does this move Lee to right field?

I think so. He reminds me of Aaron Rowand -- a one-time Gold Glove center fielder who had a career year in Philadelphia then came to SF. Rowand's Philly OPS+ in 2007 was 124 (he did 130 for the White Sox 3 years earlier). Bader's OPS+ in Philly for half a season was an identical 124. Rowand's career OPS+ was 99, Bader's is 96. So...average hitter.

And still...Rowand's overall OPS at AT&T was .680, and Bader's career OPS at SF is .791...4 HRs in SF in 15 starts here, 119 OPS+ at SF vs. Rowand's 80, so...maybe he works out.

Rowand had +13 Rtot in SF's center field (career 49), Bader's was -5 last year but otherwise a career 56 and was +14 in 2024

Biggest difference? We got Rowand at age 30, Bader will be 32. Bader's a bit cheaper, $10.25 mils. average contract, Rowand (17 years ago) was just over $11 mils. And Rowand declined precipitously from his age 31 year to his age 32 year, dropping from 92 OPS+ to 78 OPS+.

Not-so-minor indicator about Bader's physical condition...he used to be an excellent base stealer. Didn't steal many (between 10-20 a year) but a very high percentage. In 2023, he stole 20, caught 3 times. 2024, stole 17, caught 8 times. 2025, stole 11, caught 7 times. Doesn't bode well.

Still, he hit .305 in Philly, OBP of .361, OPS of .824 and hits well at Oracle. And Jung Hoo Lee's Rtot in CF was an egregious -20, so the fielding will be better. I'm not sure why JHL had such a poor Rtot...he was 3rd among NL CFs in assists, 3rd in double plays, 4th in errors (3) and his range factor was slightly above average (2.27 to 2.26). But SF CFs were not only last in putouts and chances, they were last by a considerable margin with 364, next worst was Dodgers with 389. Bader had 321 in 20 fewer games and half were in LF.

Who knows? Maybe it works out.

They didn’t sign Bader to hit.  They needed to improve their horrible OF defense.  Bader will provide a superior glove, instantly improving team’s D.

If he hits at “league average”, it will be a nice bonus.  

I like the acquisition.

[Giants]

Giants sign Harrison Bader, 2 yrs $20mill. Does this move Lee to right field?

I think so. He reminds me of Aaron Rowand -- a one-time Gold Glove center fielder who had a career year in Philadelphia then came to SF. Rowand's Philly OPS+ in 2007 was 124 (he did 130 for the White Sox 3 years earlier). Bader's OPS+ in Philly for half a season was an identical 124. Rowand's career OPS+ was 99, Bader's is 96. So...average hitter.

And still...Rowand's overall OPS at AT&T was .680, and Bader's career OPS at SF is .791...4 HRs in SF in 15 starts here, 119 OPS+ at SF vs. Rowand's 80, so...maybe he works out.

Rowand had +13 Rtot in SF's center field (career 49), Bader's was -5 last year but otherwise a career 56 and was +14 in 2024

Biggest difference? We got Rowand at age 30, Bader will be 32. Bader's a bit cheaper, $10.25 mils. average contract, Rowand (17 years ago) was just over $11 mils. And Rowand declined precipitously from his age 31 year to his age 32 year, dropping from 92 OPS+ to 78 OPS+.

Not-so-minor indicator about Bader's physical condition...he used to be an excellent base stealer. Didn't steal many (between 10-20 a year) but a very high percentage. In 2023, he stole 20, caught 3 times. 2024, stole 17, caught 8 times. 2025, stole 11, caught 7 times. Doesn't bode well.

Still, he hit .305 in Philly, OBP of .361, OPS of .824 and hits well at Oracle. And Jung Hoo Lee's Rtot in CF was an egregious -20, so the fielding will be better. I'm not sure why JHL had such a poor Rtot...he was 3rd among NL CFs in assists, 3rd in double plays, 4th in errors (3) and his range factor was slightly above average (2.27 to 2.26). But SF CFs were not only last in putouts and chances, they were last by a considerable margin with 364, next worst was Dodgers with 389. Bader had 321 in 20 fewer games and half were in LF.

Who knows? Maybe it works out.

They didn’t sign Bader to hit.  They needed to improve their horrible OF defense.  Bader will provide a superior glove, instantly improving team’s D.

If he hits at “league average”, it will be a nice bonus.  

I like the acquisition.