Despite receiving a lot of criticism from fans for not making any significant offseason acquisitions, the Twins (7-15) made one particular move before the 2025 season that already appears to be paying off.

Minnesota signed outfielder Harrison Bader to a one-year, $6.25 million contract with a mutual option for 2026 back on Feb. 7.

Twins outfielder Harrison Bader earns high praise from Major League Baseball

In MLB’s “1 newcomer on each team making an early impression,” Twins writer Matthew Leach used Bader, 30, as Minnesota’s example of a newcomer making an early positive impact in 2025.

The national praise for Bader is well deserved. His defense (4 defensive runs saved) and solid offensive production (.250/.311/.429 (110 OPS+) slash line, three home runs and 12 RBI) has him No. 1 on the Twins in bWAR this season with 0.9. Not bad for someone who many expected to mainly serve as a fourth outfielder and provide insurance for a potential Byron Buxton injury.

Bader has already provided the same amount of value for the Twins this year as he did for the New York Mets last season, where he accumulated 0.9 bWAR in 143 games.

If it weren’t for Bader, who has been Minnesota’s primary left fielder this year, there’s a good chance the Twins would be sitting in last place in the American League Central instead of fourth.

The Twins hope Bader can contribute to a resurgence for a team that’s already six games behind the first-place Detroit Tigers in the American League Central standings. If not, there’s a good chance they will look to move the defensive standout to a team with postseason aspirations near the July 31 trade deadline.

Twins are set to take on the struggling Chicago White Sox

Bader and the Twins look to get back on track in their upcoming three-game set with the Chicago White Sox (5-17).

Game 1 of the series is set to start at 6:40 p.m. on Tuesday at Target Field. Right-handed pitcher Bailey Ober is scheduled to start on the mound for the Twins, while Davis Martin is slated to start for Chicago.