Phillies can take advantage of Twins outfield depth as a reunion begins to materialize

Twins fans would love a reunion with outfielder Harrison Bader, who was traded from Minnesota to the Phillies at the 2025 MLB trade deadline in exchange for Geremy Villoria and Hendry Mendez.

The deal made sense for the Twins, as they were selling valuable pieces amid a brutal year in which the club won 70 games. Fortunately for Bader, he was able to come out and help Philadelphia in the postseason. Those few months came and went quickly, and now Bader is a free agent.

Any team looking for an outfielder is likely to check out Bader, who is coming off one of the best seasons of his nine-year career in the majors. The Phillies have already shown interest in Bader, which makes sense considering other players like Nick Castellanos won’t be returning. Unfortunately for the Twins, this team’s depth in the outfield is quite deep, and Bader won’t be looking for a pay cut and a part-time playing role… especially for a team that didn’t perform well during his time there.

Harrison Bader’s reunion with the Phillies is much more realistic than the one with the Twins

The Twins’ current outfield will likely consist of Byron Buxton, Matt Wallner and Trevor Larnach. Those are all guys who compete every game, so there’s not much room for Bader there. Considering Bader has turned in a career-high .277 batting average and 117 OPS+, he’s only going to listen to teams willing to pay him big money with a guaranteed starting role.

A quick look at Bader’s combined 2025 numbers in Minnesota and Philadelphia:

Bader was also as strong as ever defensively in 2025, produced seven OAAs and was in the 85th percentile in sprint speed. The 31-year-old deserves the best. This is his time to get paid big time, and unfortunately the Twins probably won’t be the team he signed a deal with.