Giants close in on resolution of Harrison Bader contract dispute tied to July scooter crash, Posey says

The San Francisco Giants are nearing an end to their contract dispute with Harrison Bader, as baseball operations president Buster Posey told reporters at the General Managers Meetings in Las Vegas that a joint statement will be released soon addressing the situation tied to Bader’s July scooter crash.

Posey said he did not expect the resolution to be dramatic in the short term, but added that Bader “will be in the organization,” indicating the dispute is moving toward closure rather than a prolonged standoff.

The Giants suspended Bader’s pay on July 31 after the outfielder was involved in a late-night scooter accident in San Francisco’s Marina District. An earlier Giants statement indicated the suspension would remain in place “until he is able to resume performing services for the Club.”

Bader, 32, signed a two-year, $20.5 million contract with the Giants in January. This season, he batted.170 over 30 games while missing time with hamstring and foot injuries, and he had been placed on the injured list on May 30 with left plantar fasciitis.

According to the Giants’ most recent medical update cited in the team’s account, Bader was working on running and baseball progressions in late September and was on track to be fully cleared by spring training. Posey also said Bader will need to win back playing time, including the starting center field role.

Separately from the Bader situation, Posey shared personnel updates for the Giants’ coaching staff, including that longtime staffer Taira Uematsu will move from quality control coach to first-base coach, and that Shane Robinson will shift to a roving outfield coordinator role after being reassigned from first base.

Posey also indicated the Giants were working to finalize a replacement hitting coach after Hunter Mense left for the Royals last week, and he said several other coaches are set to return, including Oscar Bernard, Ron Washington, Gary Pettis, Justin Meccage, and Jesse Chavez, with changes on the Minor League pitching side. The Giants are also evaluating the catching coach position held by Alex Burg this year.