Harrison Bader departing Phillies for multi-year deal with Giants

Harrison Bader will not be returning to the Phillies.

According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Bader has agreed to a two-year deal with the San Francisco Giants. It will be a two-year/$20.5 million contract that can get up to $21 million with incentives based on plate appearances, per Max Mannis of Jomboy Media. Jon Heyman of The New York Post confirmed the terms. 

The Phillies acquired Bader from the Minnesota Twins prior to that trade deadline, and he became a fan favorite during what proved to be a brief tenure in red pinstripes. Not only did he hit .305 and play great center field defense across 50 regular-season games with the Phillies, but he provided a much-needed spark upon joining the club. 

Not surprisingly, Bader declined his half of a $10 million mutual option for 2026 following one of the best campaigns of his career. Not only did this allow Bader to return to free agency in search of a multi-year deal, but it triggered a $3 million buyout payment from the Phillies that stemmed from the original deal he signed with the Twins last offseason. 

During the MLB GM meetings in mid-November, Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski acknowledged that the team remained interested in a reunion with the veteran outfielder. 

"They know we have interest. They know that we'd like to bring him back," Dombrowski said, per Matt Gelb of The Athletic. "They also had expressed that they want to see what's out there because this was the best year he's had, I think, in quite a while."

However, once the Phillies signed Adolis García to a one-year/$10 million deal in mid-December, a return to Philadelphia for Bader seemed pretty unlikely. García is expected to be the starting right fielder, with top prospect Justin Crawford given space to be the everyday center fielder. Bader was overqualified to be the platoon partner for Brandon Marsh in left field. 

This story will be updated as more comes in...

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