The Curious Case Of Harrison Bader.

One thing cannot be denied about Harrison Bader—and no, I’m not talking about his luscious locks.

He just completed the best season he’s ever had with the stick.

He hit over .300 during his time with the Phillies and had an OPS+ of 117 on the season. Obviously, when a gold glove-winning center fielder has a season like that and has a chance to hit the open market, they will get paid, right?

This is the first time Bader has been an above-average hitter in four seasons, dating back to his 2021 campaign in St. Louis, where he won his Gold Glove. The Phillies have a mutual option with Bader that he will almost certainly opt out of.

The Phillies seem highly interested in retaining Bader, with Dave Dombrowski making it very clear that the front office has and will be putting forth a tremendous effort to retain him this offseason. In recent years, the Phillies have had success by bringing in guys they believed they could “Fix,” with mild success. For every Jesus Luzardo, we have a Carlos Hernandez. The Phillies believe that Bader is different. His changes to approach, swing path, and other tweaks will continue to provide the 31-year-old with success, in their eyes.

It’s not like the Phillies have talented outfielders just lying around. With the almost inevitable departure of Nick Castellanos pending, that would leave the Phillies' outfield with Brandon Marsh and a prayer at the Major League level currently. Bringing back Bader on a moderately priced free agent deal, who has made positive remarks about his time in the city, would allow the Phillies to roll out an outfield consisting of Bader, Marsh, and a rookie Justin Crawford. Or the Phillies could continue to add a corner piece with center and a corner locked up.

If the Phillies don’t get outpriced for the Hustling blonde hunk, expect him back patrolling center field at the bank.