9) Harrison Bader
Was Harrison Bader a good Mets player? It’s hard to say. He was more neutral than anything else. Signed to a one-year deal worth $10.5 million, it was market value at the time but an overpay nonetheless.
The big critique throughout his career was an inability to stay healthy. This wasn’t Bader’s problem. A complete collapse late in the season as an offensive player is what had him sitting far more regularly in favor of Tyrone Taylor in center field. An amazing defender by most metrics, the Mets found little use for him with how badly he hit in the final two months.
Bader slashed .175/.246/.302 in August and .154/.207/.288 in September. Early success, including some clutch hitting in the early part of the season, made it seem as if the Mets stole Bader from other center field-needy ball clubs. The marathon of the 162-game season caught up to him. Although healthy, he played less than 100%. It was easy to let him walk in free agency after a season of test driving him.
