6 most important Mets players who won't be back next season

6) Harrison Bader

Of all the free agent signings the Mets made in the offseason, the one I was least open minded about was Harrison Bader. He proved me wrong for a very long time. Bader was consistently hitting from the bottom of the order and even received a few chances near the top. His great glove, good speed, and ability to come up with a clutch hit helped make him a fan favorite. It wasn’t much of a shock. Bader was, if nothing else, an exciting and gutsy player. We knew this. What we didn’t know was how much his offense was going to fall off.

The regular season ended with Bader slashing .236/.284/.373 with 12 home runs and 17 stolen bases. These aren’t ridiculously bad numbers. For his career, he is a .242/.306/.392 hitter. He was only a little below that. What hurt his season most was batting only .167/.230/.283 in the second half. In the playoffs, he was merely a defensive replacement late in games.

Bader becomes unnecessary for the Mets with Tyrone Taylor under team control and several younger players capable of playing center field coming up. None quite match his defense although one could argue Taylor is more than close enough.

Between Drew Gilbert, Jett Williams, and even Luisangel Acuna, the Mets have enough rookie center field options on top of Brandon Nimmo and Taylor. Bader will land somewhere as a part-time player and do what he typically does: steal runs with his glove, knock in some big ones, and go cold for a long stretch.

TDLR Version: Great fit but the mistake with Harrison Bader was to ever believe he’d be able to produce all year long. He’s not necessary to bring back with Tyrone Taylor around.