Reunited, and it feels so good.
The lyrics from the popular Peaches & Herb song might be the perfect sentiment for Pete Alonso and Harrison Bader after the latter signed a one-year, $10.5 million contract with the Mets on Thursday, making the former Florida Gators teammates once again.
In a post on Instagram, Alonso, 29, showed his excitement to be playing with Bader again in a post that featured two pictures of Bader and Alonso as teammates at the University of Florida.
“The diesel bros are back baby!!! Welcome back to the orange and blue!!!! #LFGM,” Alonso captioned the post.
Bader shared an MLB post to his Instagram Story about Alonso’s excitement.
The two played together for Florida from 2014-15, helping lead the Gators to the College World Series in the latter season.
For his efforts, Bader made the 2015 All-Tournament Team after hitting .358 in Omaha.
Alonso helped get Florida back to the College World Series in 2016 after Bader departed and joined the Cardinals.
Aside from the duo’s UF reunion and Alonso’s general excitement, Bader, 29, helps improve the Mets defensively.
Last season, Bader recorded nine Outs Above Average, according to Baseball Savant, which placed him seventh among qualified outfielders.
In 2021, he won a Gold Glove with the Cardinals.
This will be Bader’s second go-around playing in the Big Apple.
He played 107 games — including the playoffs — in two years with the Yankees, though he struggled to stay healthy.
He missed time during his tenure in The Bronx with plantar fasciitis, an oblique strain and a hamstring strain.
Bader was placed on waivers in late August and claimed by the Reds.
The Bronxville native previously spoke glowingly about getting to play in his hometown after the Yankees acquired him in a trade with the Cardinals for Jordan Montgomery in 2022.
“It just means so much to me to be a New York City kid playing in The Bronx for the Yankees,” an emotional Bader told reporters the day he was claimed by the Reds “Yeah, it’s just really special for a lot of reasons.”
Now back in New York, Bader re-acclimated quickly, taking in Thursday’s game between the Rangers and Blackhawks at Madison Square Garden.
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