Phillies Free Agent Outfielder Seen as Perfect Fit for Rays in Free Agency

Which player from the Philadelphia Phillies would be a great fit for the Tampa Bay Rays?

May 26, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of a Philadelphia Phillies hat and glove on the bench against the Atlanta Braves in the seventh inning at Truist Park. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

It has been a busy offseason for the Tampa Bay Rays, and there is still some work to be done in order to improve. 

The Rays have been an active team this winter, and some of their moves have been unique. Tampa Bay is no stranger to being both a buyer and a seller at times, and that is seemingly the game plan this winter. 

Early on, the Rays were aggressive in free agency, adding a couple of veterans. This created the belief that the team was really going to be active and try to make some noise in the American League East. However, following some additions in free agency, they then traded away two key players. 

While the team trading Brandon Lowe and Shane Baz helped the Rays restock their farm system, it did hurt them in the short term. This is a team that still believes they can be a contender when the offseason is completed, and that means some work will need to be done. There are a number of needs for the team, and how they look to address them will be interesting. 

Eric Treuden of Just Baseball recently wrote about some of the needs for the Rays. One of which was to improve in the outfield as a good right-handed hitter. He proposed that Harrison Bader would be an excellent fit in free agency. 

Outfield Feels Crowded

Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Even though the team has already made some upgrades for their outfield with the signings of Cedric Mullins, Jake Fraley, and the acquisition of Jacob Melton from the Houston Astros, a right-handed outfielder is still needed. 

This is a unit that didn’t provide much offensively for the team and improving it will be key to their success. Tampa Bay has been aggressive in free agency, and adding a player like Bader would help the unit quite a bit. 

Last season, the veteran outfielder slashed .277/.347/.449 with 17 home runs and 54 RBI with both the Minnesota Twins and Philadelphia Phillies. Bader totaled a bWAR of 3.9 in 2025, and it was one of the best years of his career. 

Even though he has bounced around a bit in recent campaigns, Bader has been a solid player and has played in a lot of big games for good teams. While the Rays have upgraded the outfield so far, adding a player like Bader would help improve the unit even more and make them a lot more competitive heading into 2026.