Giants' $20M Harrison Bader signing forces Tony Vitello to make major outfield decision

Hunter Cookston

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Giants' $20M Harrison Bader signing forces Tony Vitello to make major outfield decision image

The San Francisco Giants did the unthinkable this winter by hiring Tony Vitello as their new manager. A big influence in the decision was Vitello’s former player, Drew Gilbert. Vitello knows what kind of player Gilbert is and believes his desire to win is why he has become a fan favorite.

“I think it’s easy to see how much he wants to win," Vitello told Alex Pavlovic. "If you pay for a ticket to go to the game, you want to see a win… so you want that equal kind of give from the players. And with Drew, because he wears his emotions on his sleeve so much, you’ll never doubt it."

Gilbert was likely going to be the starting right fielder, but on Monday, things became interesting with the Giants signing Harrison Bader.

“The San Francisco Giants have agreed to a two-year deal with free agent center fielder Harrison Bader, a source told ESPN on Monday. The deal is worth $20.5 million, a source told ESPN's Jeff Passan,” ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez wrote.

This changes the dynamic for the Giants, as Jung Ho Lee and Gilbert will now be competing for the starting spot in right field. Bader’s unexpected arrival creates more competition and adds intrigue to the lineup.

“Lee should not exactly see this as a demotion, though. Right field at Oracle Park is still incredibly tricky to play with the 24-foot wall guarding McCovey Cove behind him, so he is going to have to improve defensively no matter what after last season,” Around the FogHorn’s Nick San Miguel wrote.

Vitello may have already planned for Gilbert to be an everyday starter, and with Bader’s addition, that could still be the case. It will be interesting to see if Vitello leans on someone he has relied on before.

Nonetheless, favoritism could become apparent right out of the gate in Vitello’s tenure as manager. Gilbert has emerged as a key figure in San Francisco, and Vitello is well aware of it—but an interesting decision awaits the new sheriff in town.

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