January 26, 2026
Harrison Bader has a deal with the San Francisco Giants, axing any hopes of a return back to the Phillies.
Bader is getting two years from the Giants, per The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, in a $20.5 million contract that can push up to $21 million with incentives, per MLB Network insider Jon Heyman.
Bader was brought into Philadelphia as an outfield bat from Minnesota at the trade deadline last summer, and quickly became a spark plug that the lineup needed, slashing .305/.361/.463 with five home runs, 11 doubles, and a triple in 50 games down the stretch of the regular season.
He was an athletic glove that the Phillies needed in center field, but just as much, he was the type of hitter who understood that in the postseason, you had to stockpile hits and walks wherever you could, rather than trying to swing big in every at-bat.
Bader suffered a groin injury in the NLDS against the Dodgers, though, which limited him for the series, while the majority of the Phillies' lineup struggled to adhere to his memo. They lost the series to the Dodgers in four games to end another October run quickly.
There was speculation going into the winter that the 31-year-old Bader could be a potentially longer-term fit for the Phillies' outfield, but as the months went on, it became clear that the club is intent on trying to get younger with that position group, setting up top prospect Justin Crawford with a chance to come in and take the starting center-field job in the spring.
The Phillies also plan to have free-agent signing Adolis García take up right field as they try to move on from Nick Castellanos, while Brandon Marsh remains as the left fielder, at least for the time being.
That plan never seemed to have a serious place for Bader.
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