One-Year Twins Rental Signs with Latest New Team
Last offseason, the Minnesota Twins brought in a trio of one-year rentals to supplement a roster they expected to compete for an AL Central crown in 2025. It didn’t take long before we all realized that outfielder Harrison Bader was the best of the bunch.
Unfortunately, his midseason fate was the same as the other two free agent signees mentioned above. Just like Ty France and Danny Coulombe, Bader was shipped out to Philadelphia at the MLB Trade deadline, where he played (PED-using) Max Kepler to the Phillies bench and contributed heavily to their latest NLCS run.
Meanwhile, the Minnesota Twins went on to finish 70-92, missing the playoffs for the second-straight season. That lead to them switching the face of the team from Rocco Baldelli to Derek Shelton and the face of ownership from Joe Pohlad to Tom Pohlad.
Harrison Bader joins MN Twins coach in San Francisco
Harrison Bader, 32, will play in his tenth MLB season, come March — a huge milestone for MLB players when it comes to their pension and future insurance. On Monday, we found out where he will earn that additional league tenure, after news broke that Bader is signing a two-year deal with the San Francisco Giants.
Free-agent outfielder Harrison Bader in agreement with Giants on two-year contract, pending physical, source tells @TheAthletic.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 26, 2026
Last season with the Minnesota Twins and Philadelphia Phillies, Bader posted a 3.2 fWAR – the second-best mark of his career. The Giants will be Bader’s SEVENTH Major League Baseball team.
In 146 games last season (96 for the MN Twins), Bader batted .277/.347/.449 with a career-high 17 home runs. It might have been the Chug Jug training bat he busted out in the on-deck circle that helped him reach new heights.
Before the Twins and Phillies, Harrison Bader played a season with the Mets, two with the Yankees and six with the St. Louis Cardinals — who selected him in the 3rd round of the 2015 MLB Draft.
Is the bat half empty or half full? 🤔
— MLB (@MLB) June 27, 2025
Harrison Bader breaks down his Chug Jug training bat 👀 pic.twitter.com/guScAWYd5i
Bader signed for $6.25 million with the MN Twins last offseason, before Spring Training. He took the discount after unsuccessfully holding out all offseason for more money.
In 2024, Bader made 10.5 million with the Mets. His new deal in San Francisco is worth $20.5 million total (10.25M/YR, much closer to the deal he signed two offseason ago.
Giants are gonna love Bader
When he signed with the Minnesota Twins, Bader moved primarily to left field. Nonetheless, he still provides a dynamic new weapon in the outfield for San Francisco’s first-year manager, Tony Vitello.
More importantly, the Giants got an absolute dog for their clubhouse. Harrison Bader’s fiery personality should fit an organization like the Giants, with NL pennant aspirations, perfectly.
Related: MN Twins Legend Thinks He Can Fix Bailey Ober
An added bonus: Former Minnesota Twins bench coach Jayce Tingler is now on the Giants staff, in that same role. He will be a familiar face for the former third round pick out of Florida.
Despite his age, Bader was still exceptional defensively in 2025, posting 13 DRS (defensive runs saved), 6 OAA (outs above average), and a 5 FRV (fielding run value).
He will now look for playing time in a crowded San Francisco outfield that currently goes Heliot Ramos, Jung Ho Lee, and Drew Gilbert, left to right.
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