The Phillies were not going to fix their prolonged outfield issues with one transaction at this trade deadline, so when they acquired veteran Harrison Bader for two minor leaguers, it served as a patch. Bader is right-handed. His .439 slugging percentage would rank third on the Phillies. He is an exceptional defender.
These are all things the Phillies needed.
Bader, 31, represents a more measured addition than the Phillies-Twins trade that preceded it. The Phillies, according to a team announcement, will send outfielder Hendry Mendez and right-hander Geremy Villoria to Minnesota for Bader.
How the Phillies incorporate Bader into the outfield alignment remains unclear. He can play all three positions and has spent most of his 2025 season in left field. But he’s a true center fielder. He is having a solid season at the plate with equal production against lefties and righties. Odds are the Phillies will use Bader as an everyday player to begin, probably in center field, then adjust if necessary.
That would bump Brandon Marsh to left field, where he is a better defender. It could mean that time’s up for Max Kepler, who has hit .203/.297/.357 this season, although the Phillies could opt to keep Kepler as a bench bat. Johan Rojas could be sent to the minors; he’s somewhat superfluous with Bader on the roster. The Phillies could have signed Bader in the offseason, but chose to add Kepler in a one-year, $10-million deal because they believed he was a better bounce-back candidate. That was the wrong choice; this trade attempts to correct it.
Bader is making $6.25 million this year. His deal includes a mutual option for $10 million that Bader will probably decline given his increased production. Largely brought in by Minnesota as a defensive specialist, the 2021 Gold Glove Award winner is having his best offensive season since 2021. An inconsistent bat the past three seasons, Bader is hitting for power — his 12 homers would rank fourth on the Phillies — and getting on base (.339 OBP) more than he has since his days with the St. Louis Cardinals.
A bit of a hired gun, Bader is playing for his sixth team since 2022, including making stops with both New York clubs. While the bulk of his postseason success occurred in 2022 when he hit five homers for the Yankees, Bader has an .809 OPS in 72 playoff plate appearances.
The prospect cost to the Phillies was minimal, commensurate with this type of return for a rental player.
Mendez, 21, has an .808 OPS at Double-A Reading and caught the attention of rival evaluators this summer as a potential project. The Phillies acquired him in a small transaction two winters ago when they flipped Oliver Dunn, a player they selected in the minor-league phase of the Rule 5 draft, to the Milwaukee Brewers. It was a shrewd transaction that helped create this one.
Villoria doesn’t turn 17 for two weeks. He had struck out 19 and walked four in his first 14 innings of pro ball while pitching in the Dominican Summer League. The Phillies and Twins share a complex in Boca Chica, which likely allowed Minnesota to gain some insight into the young arm.
That’s two trades in two days between the Phillies and Twins, who had not executed a player-for-player deal since December 2012 when Minnesota sent Ben Revere to Philadelphia for Vance Worley and Trevor May.
Trade grade
Phillies: A
Twins: A
Grant Brisbee: Everyone has a player that they irrationally expect to be much better every season, despite all available evidence. Mine is Bader, whom I expected to have a big season in 2022, 2023 and 2024, only to be wrong every time. He’s finally having a strong season, though, which means I get to take a victory lap. The most recent one is the only one that matters.
Bader is exactly as helpful and as limited as you might expect a semi-regular outfielder to be. He hasn’t had platoon splits in four out of the last five seasons, including this one, and his defense in center field remains elite. Bader’s adjusted OPS is 111 this season, which means he’s been 11 percent better than the average hitter. “11 percent better than average” is the perfect description of what the Phillies want out of him offensively, with his defense a given.
With Brandon Marsh now in left field, the Phillies will have strong defenders in two of their outfield spots, and Bader’s range should help take some pressure off Nick Castellanos in right. As long as Bader stays healthy, it’s a perfect fit. Don’t worry about the thunder rumbling in the distance every time you say “as long as he stays healthy.” It’s probably nothing.
As for the Twins, they got a fun outfield prospect in Mendez, who is listed as 6-foot-3 and 175 pounds, which means he’s roughly the build of the inflatable guy outside of a car dealership. He’s also just 21 and putting up encouraging numbers in the Eastern League, which isn’t an easy league to hit in.
The Twins also get Villoria, a 16-year-old pitcher, who is … well, a 16-year-old pitcher. Nobody knows anything yet.
Still, it’s a nice return for a player who is going to be a free agent (there’s a $10 million mutual option, but one side always declines it). Can’t fault the Twins for signing him when they were going for it, and you can’t fault the return now that they’re out of it. They played their hand well.
— The Athletic’s Dan Hayes and Ken Rosenthal contributed to this report.
(Photo: David Berding / Getty Images)
