"The Cardinals' Winter Warmup fan event is this weekend, and newly-minted president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom took questions directly from fans as part of the festivities. As noted by Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, one of those questions was about former Cardinals (and current free agent) Harrison Bader's availability on the market. In his response to that question, Bloom suggested that the same has "room" for a right-handed outfielder on the roster before acknowledging that Bader is a possibility to fill that void. Bloom declined to discuss Bader's asking price, or any other specifics of contract talks."
"It's worth emphasizing that Bader, 32 in June, was the direct subject of the question Bloom was asked. That makes him being named as a potential fit less meaningful than it would be in other circumstances, though he would certainly be a solid addition for the club that took him in the third round of the 2015 draft. Bader ended his Cardinals career back in 2022, when he was traded to the Yankees in exchange for Jordan Montgomery over the summer. He left the Cardinals with a career .246/.320/.409 slash line, good for a wRC+ of 98. That roughly average offense was paired with elite defense in center field and a handful of stolen bases, and the outfielder was coming off a particularly strong 2021 campaign where he won a Gold Glove in center field and posted a 108 wRC+ with 16 homers in just 103 games."
"Bader has generally struggled since leaving St. Louis, with lackluster stints playing for the Yankees, Reds, and Mets across the 2023 and '24 seasons. With that being said, however, 2025 proved to be a career year for him. After signing with the Twins, he spent most of his time in left field out of deference to incumbent star Byron Buxton, but Bader managed to make up for the drop down the defensive spectrum with his bat. He hit a respectable .258/.339/.439 during his time in Minnesota, then kicked things up a notch when he was traded to Ph"
The Cardinals indicated the roster has room for a right-handed outfielder and named Harrison Bader as a potential fit while declining to disclose contract specifics. Bader was a third-round pick by the Cardinals in 2015 and was traded back in 2022 to the Yankees for Jordan Montgomery. He finished his Cardinals tenure with a .246/.320/.409 slash line and a 98 wRC+, pairing average offense with elite center-field defense. Bader won a Gold Glove in 2021 with a 108 wRC+ and 16 homers in 103 games. He struggled through 2023–24 but posted improved numbers in 2025, primarily in left field for Minnesota, and then saw further improvement after a subsequent trade.
Read at MLB Trade Rumors
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