MLB Rumors: 3 Yankees who won’t survive an offseason roster purge

Yankees offseason roster purge will mean giving up on Harrison Bader

Harrison Bader has caught plenty of flack for his injuries, unreliable bat and occasional defensive blunder this season.

The injuries and offensive struggles have been part of the outfielder’s story since he joined the Yankees, so that hasn’t been much of a surprise.

But even his defense has become a sort of rallying cry against him. While Badder hasn’t been a defensive liability, he hasn’t been a defensive stalwart either. It’s a lot harder to stomach the lack of offense when major defensive advantages aren’t showing up.

Bader is heading for free agency at the end of the season and the Yankees shouldn’t go out of their way to bring him back. He’s simply been too inconsistent in terms of availability and offensive ability. And his defense hasn’t made up for it enough to make him a free agent priority.

Having Everson Pereira coming through the farm system will only make it easier to move on from Bader.