According to a report from Jeff Passan of ESPN, the Philadelphia Phillies have acquired outfielder Harrison Bader from the Minnesota Twins. Matt Gelb of The Athletic is reporting the Phillies are sending Hendry Mendez and Geremy Villoria to the Twins in exchange for Bader. This comes after the Phillies acquired relief pitcher Jhoan Durán from the Twins. So far this season, Bader has a .258/.339/.439 line with 12 home runs and 38 RBI in 96 games. Bader has a 117 wRC+ and a .322 BABIP this year. Furthermore, Bader has a 0.33 BB/K rate and a .340 wOBA this season. Defensively, Bader has played all three outfield positions this season. This year, Bader has 13 DRS/5 OAA/5 FRV in the outfield. Bader has a mutual option for the 2026 season.
Phillies reportedly acquire OF Harrison Bader from the Twins, per multiple reports including MLB’s @Feinsand. pic.twitter.com/qH9sckY0f8
— MLB (@MLB) July 31, 2025
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Report: Phillies Acquire Harrison Bader
Mendez being traded is not a surprise because of the Phillies outfield prospect depth. This season, Mendez has a .290/.374/.434 line with eight home runs and 46 RBI in 85 minor league games. Mendez has a 131 wRC+ and a .310 BABIP this season. To add to that, Mendez has a 0.91 BB/K rate and a .369 wOBA this year. In the minor leagues, Mendez has played all three outfield spots and is Rule 5 Draft eligible this offseason. Meanwhile, Villoria has a 0-1 record with a 4.50 ERA in five DSL starts this season. Villoria has a 2.39 FIP this year. To add, Villoria is currently in the midst of his age-16 season. Villoria will turn 17 in early August and is far away from being major league ready.
Outfield Upgrade
Bader has made sense as a fit for the Phillies on multiple occasions. This time, the Phillies decided to acquire Bader. It remains to be seen what this will mean for Johan Rojas and Max Kepler. Bader gives the Phillies another right-handed outfield bat that they have needed for some time. Additionally, Rojas can be optioned to the minor leagues. If the team elects to move on from Kepler, he would need to be released or designated for assignment. Justin Crawford getting called up with Rojas being sent down and Kepler being released is not out of the realm of possibility. The role Bader will have on the Phillies could be a platoon role or a full-time starter role that has not been determined yet.
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