Giants reshuffle outfield: Bader to center, Lee to right

Harrison Bader Bolsters the San Francisco Giants’ Center Field

The San Francisco Giants have finalized the addition of Harrison Bader to strengthen their center field. With this move, Jung Hoo Lee will move to right field, as announced. Lee, the Korean star, has shown complete willingness to adapt to the new position, after talking with the new manager Tony Vitello and the general manager Zack Minasian. Bader, for his part, is enthusiastic about starting his stage with the team and emphasizes the importance of constant communication so that all players integrate quickly. In the previous season, Bader played in left field for the first time in his nine-year career.

“We’ve talked to Jung Hoo, Tony has talked to him, Zack talked to him before,” said president of baseball operations Buster Posey. “Jung Hoo is great. Also, there’s an understanding on our part and for Jung Hoo that there’s a possibility that Jung Hoo could still have opportunities in center field, but our plan is for Bader to play in center field.”

Buster Posey

Bader signed a two-year contract for 20.5 million dollars. The Giants are confident that his arrival will significantly improve the team’s outfield defense. Lee will have the opportunity to familiarize himself with the particular right field wall of San Francisco, as there is a similar one at one of the team’s training camps in Arizona. Heliot Ramos returns to left field. Bader, 31, hit .277 with 17 home runs, 54 RBIs and an OPS of 0.796 in 146 combined games with Minnesota and Philadelphia last season, setting personal records in all those categories. In addition, he is eager to steal more bases. “Basically, entering free agency for the third time this year, I really just wanted to find a home,” Bader said, highlighting that his focus was a “winning culture.” “… You always want to be a starting player.” This will be the westernmost location he has played, and his new “home” presents challenges such as wind, fog, and unpredictable boats.

“The garden, defensively, can certainly be tricky,” Bader said, noting that he plans to familiarize himself with it as quickly as possible.

Harrison Bader

Posey stated that the Giants had sought to acquire Bader throughout the offseason. “He’s a great addition for us, he’s a player who will play with intensity and without fear in the outfield,” Posey added. Lee is expected to continue as Korea’s center fielder in the World Baseball Classic, something the Giants support. Lee, 27 years old, signed a six-year, $113 million contract with the Giants in December 2023. He missed a large part of his rookie season in 2024 after dislocating his left shoulder when colliding with a garden wall and needing surgery that ended his season. In the past year, when the Giants failed to reach the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season and fired manager Bob Melvin, Lee batted .266 with eight home runs and 55 RBIs, with 10 stolen bases in 150 games, 144 of them as a starter in center field.

“Jung Hoo has played in right field before, I think he’s a very instinctive player, and I expect the transition there to be very easy,” Minasian said. “But we will try to get him familiar with that Papago outfield and then he will have some opportunities there during the spring.”

Zack Minasian