Twins fans would love a reunion with outfielder Harrison Bader, who was traded from Minnesota at the 2025 MLB trade deadline to the Phillies in exchange for Geremy Villoria and Hendry Mendez.

The deal made sense for the Twins, as they were selling off valuable pieces amidst a brutal year that saw the club win 70 games. Luckily for Bader, he was able to get out and help Philadelphia contend in the postseason. Those few months came and went quickly, and now, Bader is a free agent.

Any team in search for an outfielder is likely checking in on Bader, who put together one of the best seasons of his nine-year career in the bigs. The Phillies have already expressed their interest to Bader, which makes sense, considering other players like Nick Castellanos won’t return. Sadly for the Twins, this team’s depth in the outfield is pretty deep, and Bader won’t be looking for a pay cut and a part-time playing role… especially for a team that didn’t perform well in his time there.

Harrison Bader’s reunion with Phillies is much more realistic than one with the Twins

The Twins’ current outfield will likely be made up of Byron Buxton, Matt Wallner, and Trevor Larnach. Those are all guys who will compete every game, so there isn’t much room for Bader in there. Considering Bader handed in a career-high .277 batting average and 117 OPS+, he is going to only listen to teams willing to pay him a lot of money with a guaranteed starting role.

A quick look at Bader’s combined 2025 numbers in Minnesota and Philadelphia:

• OPS: .796

• bWAR: 3.9

• XBH: 42

• SB: 11

• Hits: 124

  

Bader was also as strong as ever on defense in 2025, producing seven OAA, and was in the 85th percentile in sprint speed. The 31-year-old deserves the best. This is his time to get paid big, and sadly, the Twins probably won’t be the team he agrees to a deal with.

This article was originally published on www.puckettspond.com as Phillies may benefit from Twins’ outfield depth with a reunion beginning to spark.