announced that Harrison Bader has rejected his end of a $10 million mutual option for 2026. He will now return to free agency and pick up a $3 million buyout on his way back to the open market.
Bader, 32 in June, has had a strong season. He is one of the best defenders on the field and his offense has been inconsistent. 2024 was his third straight season with a sub-par offense as measured by wRC+.
He settled for a one-year, $6.25 million deal with the Twins in 2025. That amounted to a $750,000 signing bonus, a $4 million base salary and a $1.5 million buyout on a $10 million mutual option. He could also increase the value of the buyout through record release bonuses. By making 501 appearances this year, he racked up all the bonuses and added another $1.5 million to the buyout value.
Those plate appearances were split between the Twins and Phillies, as Minnesota fell out of the playoff race and turned into deadline sellers, sending Bader to Philadelphia. Bader’s deal also included a $500,000 allocation bonus if he was traded, so he unlocked that as well.
Can Harrison Bader keep up his offensive output?
Overall, he performed well. He hit .277/.347/.449 for a 122 wRC+. Thanks to that offense, combining forces with his usually strong baserunning and defense, FanGraphs credited him with 3.2 Wins Above Replacement on the year.
The violation is probably not entirely sustainable. He had a .359 batting average on balls in play this year. That’s higher than his career percentage of .305 and the league average of .291 in 2025. Either way, he may have landed a nice multi-year deal this winter. It’s possible this comes down to the Phillies, but they are reportedly looking to make a shake-up in the outfield, including a move for Nick Castellanos. Whether Bader can fit into the plans may depend on how that shuffle plays out.
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