Cardinals potentially open to reunion with energetic veteran presence

The St. Louis Cardinals will have their work cut out for them to lure fans to the ballpark in 2026 in a season that the front office has made no secret of being a complete rebuild. Beyond the promotional giveaways that are sure to dot the schedule, the Cardinals will have precious few methods to persuade fans to attend games. However, that could change if a certain free agent brings his swagger back to St. Louis.

Chaim Bloom mentioned that Harrison Bader could be a realistic signing for the Cardinals.

The Cardinals have been on the market for a right-handed outfield bat since last season, and during a Bloom interview at Winter Warm-Ups, a media member directly asked Bloom about whether Bader was a possibility to fill that need, to which Bloom responded that the team has room for such a signing.

The 31-year-old Bader played center field with the Cardinals from 2017 to 2022, hitting .246/.320/.409 during his St. Louis tenure. Throughout that time, he endeared himself to fans with his enthusiasm, speed and elite defense — he owned 46 defensive runs saved in his Cardinals career. The Cardinals traded Bader to his hometown New York Yankees for Jordan Montgomery at the 2022 trade deadline, where he battled plantar fasciitis for the remainder of the season and spent much of 2023 on the shelf with a multitude of injuries.

Fully healthy in 2025, Bader is coming off of a career season, where he hit .277/.347/.449 with 17 home runs while splitting time between the Minnesota Twins and Philadelphia Phillies, and with few right-handed outfield bats available in free agency, it would make sense for the Cardinals to pursue him to see if he can build upon that breakout. If he can, the Cardinals could deal him at the trade deadline for more pitching prospects.

Currently, the Cardinals' starting outfield looks to comprise Lars Nootbaar, Victor Scott and Jordan Walker, with Nathan Church and potentially Bryan Torres supplementing them if Brendan Donovan is traded prior to the season. Walker is the only right-handed hitter of the group, so Bader would ideally serve in a platoon role with Scott and fill in for others as needed. 

Marmol has floated the idea of Thomas Saggese playing in the outfield as well, so the Cardinals could also opt to remain in-house at those positions. However, the Cardinals are also looking for a leader in their increasingly young clubhouse, and that need will become even greater if the team deals away Donovan. Marmol mentioned Alec Burleson as someone he's hoping can step into that role, but Bader could help ease that transition by providing experienced guidance to Burleson and the team before his potential deadline departure. 

Upon joining the Yankees, Bader lived the dream of playing for the team he grew up cheering for. Still, he retained fond memories of his stint in St. Louis. Now, even with the Cardinals in a vastly different position from where they were upon his departure, Bader could jump at the chance to return to the organization that reared him.