Phillies acquire Harrison Bader to fill outfield vacancy

The Phillies are acquiring veteran outfielder Harrison Bader from the Minnesota Twins, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan: 

The Philadelphia Phillies are finalizing a trade to acquire outfielder Harrison Bader from the Minnesota Twins, sources tell ESPN.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 31, 2025

Bader, 31, is hitting .258 with 12 home runs, 38 RBIs and a .778 OPS. The right-handed hitting veteran — who has also previously played for the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Yankees, Cincinnati Reds and New York Mets — has been a very well-regarded fielder throughout his career as well. Bader won a Gold Glove Award in center fielder back in 2021, and continues to grade out well defensively. He has eight defensive runs saved in left field this year, and five DRS in center field. 

Dave Dombrowski and the Phillies will send a pair or prospects back to the Twins for Bader, per Matt Gelb of The Athletic:  

Phillies are sending outfielder Hendry Mendez and righty Geremy Villoria to Twins for Harrison Bader, according to sources.

— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) July 31, 2025

Mendez, according to MLB Pipeline, was the No. 12 prospect for the Phillies. 

Bader is making $6.25 million this season, and his deal includes a $10 million mutual option for 2026. If the option is declined by either side — which it typically is in the case of mutual options — he will get paid a $1.5 million buyout. His deal also included a $500,000 trade assignment bonus, per Spotrac.

This is the second trade in as many days that the Phillies have pulled off with the Twins, as they acquired star closer Jhoan Durán from Minnesota Wednesday for RHP Mick Abel and catcher Eduardo Tait. 

It's unclear if the Phillies will make any further deals before this evening's 6 p.m. ET trade deadline. 

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