TAMPA, Fla. — From behind a pair of pastel-colored sunglass lenses only he could pull off, Harrison Bader said there are some emotions he prefers to keep to himself for now.
He had just strolled into the Yankees’ clubhouse at George M. Steinbrenner Field for a spring training baseball reunion that would stir all sorts of feelings. Most were warm. Some, bittersweet.
Just 11 months ago, Bader stood outside of the Cardinals’ spring clubhouse at Roger Dean Stadium nearly 200 miles west of here and said he hoped a newly signed two-year extension with the Cardinals was just the start. The New York native had become smitten with St. Louis since debuting as a 23-year-old pro in 2017. Cardinals fans returned the love. Bader said that day he hoped to spend his whole career in red.
