3 upcoming Mets free agents damaging their offseason stock with a weak finish

3) Harrison Bader

Signed to a deal that looked like he’d be the everyday center fielder, the Mets carefully gave Harrison Bader lots of time off early in the season only for him to later win back more of an everyday gig. Unfortunately, struggles at the plate for most of the second-half had them turning more frequently to Brandon Nimmo or Tyrone Taylor for starts in center field. Bader then became more of a glove off the bench.

Paid a rather hefty $10.5 million this year, Bader did manage to outperform many others in his free agent class. Michael A. Taylor, Kevin Kiermaier, and others gave their teams zero on offense. At least for a good chunk of the first part of the year, Bader was among the most consistent Mets hitters. Then came the fall-off which gave his free agent stock a big hit.

In the second half, Bader has seen his playing time diminish. A part of it is based on the addition of Winker. Much larger is how he has done at the plate. 

The theme of the Mets has been struggling hitters who were coming through earlier this year. Bader is down to .240/.288/.379 on the year. It’s not just September either. A .174/.231/.326 slash line this month nearly identically matches the .175/.246/.302 he hit in August. Amazingly consistent in the four prior months, the fall-off won’t do him any favors when he becomes a free agent.