Aug 1, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Harrison Bader stands on second base against the Detroit Tigers at Citizens Bank Park. (Grace Del Pizzo/On Pattison)
Despite Harrison Bader declining his half of a $10 million mutual option for 2026 last week — which triggered a $3 million buyout he'll be paid — the Phillies remain interested in re-signing the veteran outfielder.
President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said as much Wednesday at the GM meetings in Las Vegas, according to Matt Gelb of The Athletic.
"They know we have interest. They know that we'd like to bring him back," Dombrowski said. "They also had expressed that they want to see what's out there because this was the best year he's had, I think, in quite a while."
Bader posted on Instagram Tuesday talking about how much he enjoyed his brief time with the Phillies. Some took it as a goodbye, although there's no indication it was anything more than him reflecting on his stint in Philadelphia after a midseason trade from the Minnesota Twins.
After the Phillies acquired him in late July, Bader hit .305 with and .824 OPS, doing so while playing a great center field. What's more, he added a spark to a team that needed one considering how much of the core had been together for multiple seasons.
At the same time, Bader is just a year removed from hitting .236 with a .657 OPS for the New York Mets in 2024. A left hamstring strain kept him from being able to do anything other than pinch hit after Game 1 of the NLDS. Such an injury could be a bad omen for a 31-year-old whose best value remains his ability to cover ground in the outfield.
Whether or not Bader returns to the Phillies will likely come down to if the Phillies envision Justin Crawford playing in center or left field next year. If the Phillies picture Bader in center field and Crawford in left field, a two-year/$26 million deal, or thereabouts, would be fair. If the Phillies want to see Crawford in center field, it's probably unlikely they would outbid other potential suitors, such as the Mets, Texas Rangers and New York Yankees.
Even if 2025 was a career-year for Bader, the Phillies do need right-handed hitting in their lineup. Alec Bohm is a trade candidate for the second winter in a row. J.T. Realmuto is a free agent. It appears to be a matter of when, not if Nick Castellanos is no longer a Phillie. If Bader also departs, it would leave the Phillies really thin on right-handed hitting, even if Bohm and/or Realmuto returns in 2026.
