The Philadelphia Phillies‘ offseason has been a shaky one. On one hand, they brought back Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto, while adding Brad Keller and Adolis Garcia.
But, on the other hand, they traded away Matt Strahm, lost Ranger Suarez, missed out on Bo Bichette, and most recently saw Harrison Bader agree to a deal with the San Francisco Giants.
While those losses might all sting, the departure of Bader to the Giants might be a massive mistake for the Phillies. With a shaky outfield, Bader would’ve been a nice addition, and yet, the Phillies and Dave Dombrowski didn’t make the move.
Phillies might’ve made a big mistake letting Bader walk
According to Jon Heyman of The New York Post, Bader’s new deal with the Giants is for a max value of $21 million over two years. That’s $10.5 million per-year at most.
That contract is one the Phillies almost surely could’ve made work. It’s not too much, but bringing him in would’ve been a massive boost for their outfield.
He could’ve platooned or been a full-time starter. Either way, he’s the exact kind of player the Phillies should’ve been trying to sign this offseason.
Instead, the current outfield might be the worst in the majors. Garcia is the full-time right fielder, while Justin Crawford is expected to take one outfield spot full-time, and Brandon Marsh will platoon with a righty hitter, likely Otto Kemp.
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Overall, it’s an incredibly lackluster outfield for the Phillies, and bringing in someone like Bader would’ve been the perfect way to round out the outfield for 2026.
More work might need to be done with this outfield at the trade deadline. If they re-signed Bader, there wouldn’t have been an issue, and the outfield would’ve had a lot more promise.
After losing Bader to the Giants, the Phillies might’ve messed up big-time, as his departure could lead to the Phillies having an issue to resolve in the outfield once again.
