Stay or Go: Should Phillies Bring Back Harrison Bader?

The Phillies' electrifying trade deadline acquisition was one of the team's top producers in the second half, but should the team ink him to a new free agent deal?

Sep 25, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Harrison Bader (2) flips his bat after popping out during the third inning against the Miami Marlins at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies have fallen flat with most of their recent trade deadline acquisitions on the offensive side, but they struck gold in 2025.

While their addition of former Minnesota Twins outfielder Harrison Bader didn't offset another year of offensive silence in the postseason, that issue was far from his fault. In just two months in Philadelphia, Bader emerged as a major fan favorite and easily outperformed initial expectations.

Phillies' President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski sent two prospects to Minnesota for Bader on the day of the July 31st MLB trade deadline, and he played 50 games with the team to finish the season.

Harrison Bader has been on a HEATER since joining the @Phillies 😤

(MLB x @MattressFirm) pic.twitter.com/WwpZpgkPy0

— MLB (@MLB) September 14, 2025

Across said games, he slashed .305/.361/.463 with five home runs, easily proving to be one of the savviest and frankly best deadline moves. A groin injury removed him from NLDS Game 1 against the Los Angeles Dodgers, and he was extremely limited throughout the remainder of the series, but remained one of the team's most productive offensive players, tallying a hit in two at-bats with an RBI sacrifice fly.

A pure rental acquisition, Bader is set to test the free agent market coming off arguably his most successful season. Spotrac has listed his market value at $20 million+ across a potential new two-year deal. A $10 million average annual value isn't exactly expensive, but the Phillies' need to revamp their outfield could lead to looking elsewhere, especially if Bader's camp attempts to squeeze out a larger contract.

The Verdict: Stay, But Shoot Higher

Bader is a productive outfielder; there's no doubt about that. His defensive prowess, an 81st percentile Fielding Run Value in 2025 per Baseball Savant, offers a relatively high floor, and he showed that offensive tools are very much there.

The seemingly inevitable Nick Castellanos departure and impending free agency of Max Kepler would leave two slots on the 2025 Opening Day lineup empty. Neither gave the club much production, and Bader was easily the team's best outfielder.

When laid out like that, choosing to retain the 31-year-old seems like an easy decision, and it might be. There are few visible downsides to keeping Bader in Philadelphia, and that avenue is one that the franchise's brass should look into.

Harrison Bader enjoyed his time in Philadelphia. Should the Phillies re-sign him? pic.twitter.com/G65gNamo1F

— Phillies Nation (@PhilliesNation) October 14, 2025

With that being said, a bigger change is needed. Bader, being the team's sole external "addition" to the outfield in free agency, would mark a third straight year without substantial offensive improvement in the offseason. There are far bigger names on the market, including Chicago Cubs' Kyle Tucker, New York Yankees' Cody Bellinger, and Trent Grisham, among others.

Re-upping Bader's contract would be a strategic decision on paper, but the team needs to aim for better options. Keeping him and adding a premier outfielder would be a near-ideal option, if possible, and he should be viewed as more of a fallback option rather than a top target.