Sources: Bader, Mets agree to one-year deal
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Jeff Passan, ESPN
Center fielder Harrison Bader and the New York Mets agreed on a one-year, $10.5 million contract Thursday, sources told ESPN, the latest in a series of short-term pacts for the Mets as they approach 2024 as a transitional season.
The 29-year-old Bader is a gifted defensive outfielder, but an inconsistent bat and injury issues have hampered him. Under new president of baseball operations David Stearns, the Mets have added Bader and Tyrone Taylor, both of whom can play center, to complement incumbent center fielder Brandon Nimmo and right fielder Starling Marte.
Following a standout 2022 postseason in which he hit five home runs in nine games for the New York Yankees, Bader entered 2023 hopeful that a big season could lead to a free agent bounty. Oblique and hamstring injuries impeded that, and by the end of August, the Yankees had placed him on waivers, giving Bader up to the Cincinnati Reds for only salary relief.
Bader, who grew up just north of New York City, hit .232/.274/.348 with seven home runs and 20 stolen bases in 98 games last year. His career numbers are slightly better: .243/.310/.396 with 59 home runs and 217 RBIs in 635 games.
After spending a record $450 million plus in 2023 only to finish below .500, the Mets approached 2024 with an eye as much on the future as this season. They lost out on the Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto sweepstakes and instead have valued the flexibility that one-year deals offer. Among those to sign one with the Mets: right-handed starter Luis Severino ($13 million), right-handed reliever Jorge Lopez and infielder Joey Wendle ($2 million), and right-handed reliever Michael Tonkin ($1 million). Bader’s deal was first reported by SNY.
Bader, who made $5.2 million last season, was part of a glut of outfielder/designated hitter types who remain on the free agent market, including former All-Stars Teoscar Hernandez, J.D. Martinez, Joc Pederson, Jorge Soler and Justin Turner.
LSU football has a high-profile coaching vacancy, and a familiar face has thrown his hat into the ring.
Ed Orgeron, who was ousted by LSU less than two years after coaching the Tigers to a national championship, said he “would love” to return to the school as Brian Kelly’s replacement.
LSU fired Kelly in stunning fashion Sunday, citing the “high hopes” that the program failed to reach under his leadership and announcing that a “national search” was underway for the Tigers’ new coach.
Three days later, during an interview Wednesday with ESPN’s “UnSportsmanLike,” Orgeron was asked whether he wanted his old job back.
“I’d love to,” Orgeron responded. “Are you kidding me? Hey, I’m one phone call away. I just gotta get in my truck; I could be there today.”
One of the top coaches currently linked to the LSU job is Ole Miss‘ Lane Kiffin, who also worked with Orgeron at USC.
Orgeron, who has been out of coaching since leaving LSU in 2021, was asked Wednesday if he would consider returning to the program as an assistant under Kiffin.
“Yeah, I’d consider it,” he said. “I love LSU. I still got my home in Baton Rouge. I loved when I was coaching for Coach Miles being the defensive line coach. I love the Tigers, and if I’m getting back into coaching, for sure I’d consider it. No doubt.”
Orgeron’s tenure as LSU’s head coach ended after the 2021 season in what he described as a mutual decision between himself and the school. He went 51-20 in his six years at LSU, highlighted by the Tigers’ 15-0 run in a 2019 season punctuated by an NCAA championship.
Orgeron, who grew up rooting for the Tigers in nearby Larose, Louisiana, said LSU’s next head coach must embrace being a part of the state’s culture — something he says Kelly never did.
“I think that’s one of the things — whether it’s true or not — the look from the outside, Brian Kelly never embraced the state of Louisiana,” he said. “When you get those guys on your side, it’s very powerful. I think getting everybody to pull in the same direction, like Pete Carroll did, like we did, one team, one heartbeat, is gonna be the key for the next coach.”
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