The St. Louis Cardinals announced today that they have agreed with outfielder Harrison Bader on a two-year (2022-23) contract worth at least $10.4m, avoiding an arbitration hearing.
He will make $4.7m in 2022 and 2023 and gets a $1m signing bonus.
Ken Rosenthal on Twitter: “Outfielder Harrison Bader in agreement with Cardinals on two-year contract, covering his final two years of arbitration, source tells @TheAthletic. / Twitter”
Outfielder Harrison Bader in agreement with Cardinals on two-year contract, covering his final two years of arbitration, source tells @TheAthletic.
The deal also includes escalators in 2023:
250k each for reaching 350/400/450 plate appearances or 85/98/111 games started.
500k each for 500/550/600 plate appearances or 124/137/150 games started.
If he hits all the escalators, his 2023 salary would be $6.95m.
He also has award bonuses for both years for top 10 MVP finishes, Gold Glove, Platinum Glove.
Bader, 27, was recognized as the games’ top defensive centerfielder in 2021 with his first Rawlings Gold Glove award. He has stood among the majors top defensive outfielders dating back to 2018 when he was named to the Baseball America and Topps All-Rookie teams.
Since the beginning of the 2018 season, Bader leads all Major League outfielders in Defensive Runs Saved (47), Outs Above Average (47) and Runs Prevented (42), and he ranks 3rd in Defensive War (3.5). His .973 Defensive Zone Rating in 2021 was the highest of any Major League outfielder since the category began being tracked in 1997, according to Stats Perform.
Bader batted a career best .267 last season while also compiling career single-season bests for home runs (16) and RBI (50) in his 103 games played. He has a career batting mark of .244/.323/.417 with 47 HR’s, 147 RBI and 40 stolen bases in 451 games.
The right-handed hitting Bader was a 3rd round draft selection (100th player overall) by the Cardinals in 2015 out of the University of Florida, and he was voted the Cardinals Minor League Player of the Year in 2017.
He hopes to have another deal in 2023 to remain with the Cardinals.
“I definitely have intensions of having a longer extension in my career,” Bader said. “I think the possibility or the potential of (a hearing) being a distraction was something I wanted to avoid. … It solidifies the relationship with this organization (and) it’s one you want to keep for as long as possible.”
