The Philadelphia Phillies made two trades at the 2025 MLB trade deadline, acquiring both players from the Minnesota Twins. Jhoan Duran is locked up through 2027 and is the team’s closer, while Harrison Bader was a stellar outfielder in his limited time in Philadelphia.

Bader and the Phillies have a mutual option after the 2025 MLB season, making the Phillies outfielder at risk of leaving after just a few months with the team. But some recent comments paint a positive outlook for a Bader-Phillies reunion for 2026.

According to Destiny Lugardo of Phillies Nation, Bader expressed an interest in returning to the Phillies for the 2026 season. When asked if he could see himself back with the Phillies in 2026, Bader answered with: “Yeah. Absolutely.”

Harrison Bader is open to returning to the Phillies for the 2026 season

“You know,” Bader said, “I’ve said this a lot. I think winning baseball and winning culture and wanting to win, I think, is a universal language. I don’t think the uniform really kind of defines that. Being dealt into a clubhouse where a lot of guys, if you will, speak that same language, I think it’s very easy for me to fit in.”

Bader’s gratitude for coming to the Phillies is a good sign that he’s interested in a reunion this offseason. While he’s not officially a free agent yet with the mutual option, Bader is likely to have plenty of teams interested in him this winter.

His market will be a busy one if he hits the open market, but the Phillies will have a chance to extend him before he hits free agency. Bader was one of the team’s best players down the final stretch of the year, and a reunion for 2026 and beyond would be a no-brainer for the Phillies.

In the 50 games he played for the Phillies, Bader hit .305 with an .824 OPS. He finished with 54 hits, 11 doubles, one triple, five home runs, 16 RBIs, 12 walks, and 55 strikeouts with incredible defense in center field in the final two months of the MLB season.

Losing Bader would sting for the Phillies, especially with the rest of their outfield in flux. Nick Castellanos is a trade candidate this offseason, Max Kepler is a free agent, and Brandon Marsh doesn’t have a secure roster spot for the 2026 season.

Keeping Bader in Philadelphia would be a great use of resources, as he was one of the most valuable Phillies players in the final two months of the year. While the Phillies lost the NLDS, Bader hurt his hamstring partway through Game 1. If he hadn’t suffered an unlucky injury, the Phillies might’ve been able to get past the Los Angeles Dodgers.

“I’m just really grateful for everybody,” Bader said. “I was just really, really excited to play here. Obviously, not what we wanted, but, you know, there’s always a next opportunity.”

The Phillies have good reason to retain Bader, and with these comments from the Phillies trade deadline pickup point towards his willingness to come back for another year after a frustrating end to his 2025 debut season in Philadelphia.