Sep 20, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Harrison Bader (2) scores a run against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images
Despite hitting .305 with an .824 OPS after being acquired by the Phillies at last season's trade deadline, Harrison Bader remains a free agent.
Even after the Phillies missed out on Bo Bichette Friday, it's hard to see Dave Dombrowski and company circling back on Bader. Once they signed Adolis García to a one-year/$10 million deal on Dec. 16, that seemed to greatly reduce the likelihood of Bader returning.
García will be the Opening Day right fielder. The Phillies seem committed to giving top prospect Justin Crawford — who hit .334 with 46 stolen bases at Triple-A Lehigh Valley in 2025 — extended runway at the majors this season. While there's questions about whether he will stick in center field, that projects to be where Crawford opens the season. That would leave Brandon Marsh as the starting left fielder, and insurance in the event that Crawford doesn't work out in center field.
If the Phillies really wanted to, they could consider trading Marsh, opening up the opportunity to bring back Bader to play left and/or center field. But while he does have limitations — namely, hitting against left-handed pitchers — Marsh batted .300 with an .838 OPS against righties last season. He's also going to make $5.2 million in his penultimate year of arbitration eligibility. Bader declined his half of a $10 million mutual option for 2026, so he's presumably seeking more than $10 million annually on a multi-year deal.
The Phillies could still seek a right-handed hitting platoon partner for Marsh, though Bader is overqualified for that role. Wherever he signs, he's going to play every day, not just on the short side of a platoon. (Either going internally with Otto Kemp or trying to sign a veteran like Randal Grichuk to platoon with Marsh is probably more likely.) Also, having Bader on the team — even if the initial plan was just to be a platoon partner for Marsh — would make it difficult for Crawford to get his footing at the MLB level, because the second the 22-year-old struggled, there would be calls to have Bader cut into his playing time in center field.
If Bader's goal this offseason was to return to the Phillies, he probably overplayed his hand. Dombrowski acknowledged at the GM meetings in Las Vegas in mid-November that Bader's camp "knows that we'd like to bring him back." But Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported at the outset of the MLB Winter Meetings in December that Bader was "said to be expecting a three-year deal." Not long after that, the Phillies pivoted to García.
Of course, while Bader seemingly enjoyed his time in Philadelphia, returning to the team might not have been his top goal as a free agent. Since the start of the 2022 season, the Phillies were the sixth team that Bader has played for, following the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Yankees, Cincinnati Reds, New York Mets and Minnesota Twins. Getting some stability might have been the top priority for the 31-year-old, who has become something of a mercenary in recent years.
It always felt unlikely that Bader was going to get a three-year deal, but even as Spring Training approaches, a multi-year pact could still be within reach for the nine-year MLB vet, perhaps from one of the teams that's already employed him.
Chaim Bloom was asked by a member of the audience if the #STLCards have interest in Harrison Bader. The rest of the audience cheered at the question.
Bloom said the team has an opening for a right-handed hitter, and didn’t shut down the possibility. pic.twitter.com/M4u3UelsKm
Bader was a popular player during the parts of six seasons he spent with the Cardinals to begin his career, and president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom seemed to indicate during the team's Fanfest Saturday that a reunion is possible.
The native of Bronxville, New York continues to make sense for both the Yankees and Mets, each of whom he's previously played for.
Bader struggled to to stay on the field during his first go-round with the Yankees, which saw him play in 98 regular-season games in pinstripes between 2022 and 2023. With that said, he did homer five times during nine postseason games for the Yankees in October of 2022. If they aren't able to reunite with Cody Bellinger, Bader would make sense as a fallback option for the Yankees given uncertainty about Trent Grisham's defensive ability in center field moving forward and that Jasson Domínguez continues to be unproven in left field.
Harrison Bader • 10/19/2022
🍁 Postseason 🍁 pic.twitter.com/oGLrBgxgxY
Perhaps even more likely for Bader is a return to the Mets, who traded Brandon Nimmo to the Texas Rangers earlier this offseason and already had an underwhelming projected starting center fielder in Tyrone Taylor. In the aftermath of the Mets signing Bichette to play third base, Brett Baty might become a super-utility option that takes down some reps in left field. No. 2 prospect Carson Benge, a former first-round pick, also appears to be in play in the outfield in 2026. But despite Bader posting just a .657 OPS for the Mets in 2024, he's an excellent defender that might make sense for David Stearns and company to circle back on.
There are other teams that make sense for Bader that he hasn't previously played for, such as the Cleveland Guardians. Steven Kwan is entrenched in left field, but whether Bader would play right field, or center field and push Chase DeLauter to right field, he would seem to be a strong fit for the two-time defending AL Central Champions. As is, Stephen Vogt's squad is projected to have six left-handed hitters in their Opening Day lineup, along with two switch hitters in José Ramírez and the light-hitting Brayan Rocchio. If they believe Bader posting a .796 last season between the Twins and Phillies is somewhat sustainable, his great defense could make him a perfect fit in Cleveland.
The point is, there's going to still be a market for Bader's services, even if he's loomed as a free agent longer than might have initially been expected. As things stand right now, it's hard to imagine Bader back in red pinstripes in 2026.
