Seventeen home runs and a 122 wRC+ are the kind of numbers that get a journeyman paid, but they are also the kind of numbers that get a desperate general manager fired when the inevitable regression hits.

Harrison Bader just put together a career year split between the Philadelphia Phillies and Minnesota Twins, posting offensive statistics that make him look like a middle-of-the-order threat. However, if the New York Mets pay for that production thinking it is the new normal, they are buying a winning lottery ticket after the numbers have already been read.

The Offensive Trap Awaiting the New York Mets

The surface-level stats for Bader are admittedly seductive for a team needing a right-handed bat in the outfield. Last season, the 31-year-old played 146 games and hit .277 with a .347 on

See Full Page