Giants confirm Harrison Bader stays for 2027 despite scooter crash investigation
Buster Posey says the outfielder remains in the club's plans, with a joint statement on the July incident expected within weeks.
By Nia Foster ·
Harrison Bader is staying with the San Francisco Giants for the 2027 season.
The outfielder signed a two-year contract worth $20.5 million last winter. The deal is backloaded. He is owed $13 million for next year.
Buster Posey, the president of baseball operations, made the announcement Tuesday. He spoke at the MLB general managers meeting at the ARIA Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.
Posey said a joint statement from the Giants and MLB is coming. The teams are finishing an investigation into Bader's scooter crash in July. The crash involved a firetruck and left Bader with a broken foot.
The incident ended Bader's first season in San Francisco. The Giants suspended his pay for the rest of that year. A team official said the statement will not arrive for at least a few weeks.
Posey told reporters that the news is not exciting. He said, "Nothing real juicy, so not to get your hopes up."
Bader played in 30 games before the crash. He already missed time with plantar fasciitis. He finished with a .170 batting average and a .571 OPS. Those are career lows for him. He hit five home runs, including two grand slams.
The Giants have nine outfielders on their 40-man roster. Bader will compete for playing time. Posey said Bader must play well to earn the job.
The plan involves splitting center field time. Bader is a right-handed hitter. Drew Gilbert is a left-handed hitter with strong platoon splits. Jonah Cox offers strong defense in the middle of the infield.
Posey said the group, including manager Tony Vitello, will use matchup-based choices. He wants to use younger players who are better defenders. He said, "Try to take advantage of some of these guys that maybe defensively are ahead of other guys."
Casey Schmitt is the likely left fielder. Jung Hoo Lee is the likely right fielder. Victor Bericoto, Bo Davidson, Turner Hill, and Scott Bandura all made their major league debuts last year. They could also see time in the outfield.
Posey described the situation as fluid for spring training. The start of training camp depends on a new collective bargaining agreement between owners and players. He said the ideal scenario is mixing and matching players to give the manager daily options.
