Yankees need to avoid this center field reunion like the plague ahead of 2026

Due to a lack of foresight, the New York Yankees find themselves in a precarious position in center field as the offseason gets underway. The top two options to hit the market at the all-important outfield position both wore pinstripes in 2025, and the drop off both in free agency and the trade market is steep.

Cody Bellinger is predicted to have lots of suitors, driving his price up to a level that might not make the Yankees comfortable. Meanwhile, everyone is asking if the real Trent Grisham will please stand up, as no one is sure whether or not to buy into his 2025 offensive breakout.

The combination of Bellinger's market exploding and Grisham's uncertainty could have the Yankees turn to top prospect Spencer Jones to man center field. If that were to happen, the club would surely want a veteran partner with a right-handed bat to hedge against his high strikeout tendencies. On the surface, former Yankee Harrison Bader would seem to fit that bill.

The Yankees would be wise to steer clear of a Harrison Bader reunion

A quick glance would show that Bader would appear to be the third-best center fielder on the market after Bellinger and Grisham. The 31-year-old was traded at the deadline from the Minnesota Twins to the Philadelphia Phillies, and posted a combined line of .277/.347/.449 with 17 homers while playing a career-high 146 games.

That doesn't sound like the Bader you remember, right? The Harrison Bader you remember posted a .627 OPS over 98 games in the Bronx while being no stranger to the IL. What changed?

A deeper dive into the underlying metrics says not much. Bader still struggles to hit the ball with much authority, posting an 87.2 miles per hour average exit velocity in 2025, which ranked in the 12th percentile. He still whiffs too often, posting a 27.1% strikeout rate and 29% whiff rate that ranked in the 12th percentile and 22nd percentile, respectively.

Based on his quality of contact, Bader's expected batting average was just .229, and his expected slugging percentage was .383. All told, everything came together for a .303 xwOBA.

The one thing Bader still has going for him is good glove work, posting six defensive runs saved and three outs above average in 568 2/3 innings in center. That, of course, was the biggest selling point when the Yankees shockingly traded Jordan Montgomery to the St. Louis Cardinals for him back in 2022.

Spotrac projects Bader to receive a two-year, $20 million deal, which, while not astronomical, is more than he's likely to be worth. What this should really tell you is that the Yankees need to pull out all the stops to ensure they aren't left with a Harrison Bader-esque player roaming center because, if so, it will likely result in pain.