Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Harrison Bader runs in from the outfield after a win over the Detroit Tigers at Citizens Bank Park on August 3, 2025. (Grace Del Pizzo/On Pattison)
Harrison Bader officially departed the Phillies to join the San Francisco Giants Monday, but spoke extremely positively of his brief time in red pinstripes in his first interview since leaving.
Appearing on "The Show" with Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman, Bader glowed about his experience playing for the Phillies.
"I'll just say this now too — my time in Philadelphia was probably some of the best baseball I've ever been a part of. That was the most incredible fanbase that I've ever had an opportunity to play in front of for a couple months. I mean, you kind of go around that locker room — and I don't want to leave anybody out — but you talk about Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto, Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber ... those are guys that you just have so much respect for because the way that I put it is they sit at a different table in the Major Leagues. The energy they bring, the talent they have ... obviously, their level of production, their level of consistency ... getting to share a locker room with those guys was something I'll remember forever."
Beyond talking about some of his teammates and the fanbase, Bader spoke positively by name about manager Rob Thomson, hitting coach Kevin Long, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski and managing partner John Middleton.
The Phillies acquired Bader from the Minnesota Twins prior to the July 31 trade deadline, and he had arguably the best stretch of his career following that deal. Not only did he hit .305 and play great center field defense, but Bader provided a spark to a Phillies team that, in case you haven't heard, has had much of the same core together for multiple seasons now.
So, with all of this positivity, why does Bader think he didn't end up back with the Phillies?
"With regards to the Phillies, I just think that they have a lot of people to worry about. There's a lot of money at stake. It's not just as simple as thinking about me and my career when they're trying to construct a roster. So why I'm not with them? I don't know. I don't know. But it doesn't diminish the amazing experience that I had there. It doesn't diminish the incredible two, two-and-a-half months I had there."
Following the season, Bader declined his half of a $10 million mutual option, which triggered a $3 million buyout that the Phillies had to pay him dating back to his original deal with the Twins. That alone probably made declining the option worth it for Bader, because he'll now make approximately $13 million this season between the buyout and his salary from the Giants.
Even after that, the Phillies did seem to be interested in reuniting with Bader, something president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski spoke about during the GM meetings in Las Vegas in mid-November.
"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."
At the outset of the MLB Winter Meetings on Dec. 7, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that Bader was seeking a three-year deal. Just over a week after that, the Phillies signed Adolis García to a one-year/$10 million deal. That — coupled with their desire to get an extended look at top prospect Justin Crawford, likely in center field — seemed to close the door for all intents and purposes on Bader returning to the Phillies. Monday's deal slammed it shut.
In Bader's interview with Heyman and Sherman, he spoke about how important it was for him to go to a place where he would be for more than one year. Considering he's played for six teams in nine seasons — the Phillies, Twins, St. Louis Cardinals, New York Yankees, Cincinnati Reds and New York Mets — it's not surprising that Bader wanted some stability. Ultimately, he found that in the form of a multi-year deal with the Giants, a team that should be in the NL Wild Card hunt in 2026.
There are quite a few Phillies fans upset that the team didn't re-sign Bader, particularly because $20.5 million — with an additional $500,000 in incentives available — is less than most people thought he would get over two years when the offseason began. Perhaps the Phillies should have waited things out longer with Bader, who will make just $500,000 more than García next season.
At the same time, it's also possible that Bader's camp overplayed their hand early this offseason. He played well enough in 2025 to get a multi-year deal, but he's still entering his age-32 season, has had some injuries and his offensive production has varied from year to year. The market ultimately decided that three years was too aspirational.
The guess here is that if Bader had been willing to sign a two-year/$20.5 million contract in early to mid December, the Phillies probably would have jumped at that, shifted Crawford to left field and had Brandon Marsh platoon with a right-handed bat in right field.
In the end, that's not how things played out.
