The Philadelphia Phillies made two moves at the 2025 MLB trade deadline. They acquired closer Jhoan Duran from the Minnesota Twins, who has been dominant and everything the Phillies could've asked for. But they also added Harrison Bader, who has been just as impressive since coming to Philadelphia.
He's taken over the everyday starting role in center field and has been a massive upgrade for the outfield overall. He's allowed Rob Thomson to platoon Nick Castellanos and Max Kepler in right field, which has gone great so far.
But for Bader, following the win over the New York Mets to go up nine games in the NL East, he expressed gratitude to the Twins for trading him to Philadelphia. Matt Gelb of The Athletic shared Bader's comments and how grateful the new Phillies slugger is to be playing meaningful baseball this season.
Harrison Bader is Grateful for the Trade to Philadelphia
"I'm just really grateful," Bader said. I have a lot of gratitude for the Twins for dealing with me here. I'm grateful they did right by me and allowed me to play meaningful baseball."
Going from the Twins, who were amid a fire sale and cutting down the talent on their roster in a series of trades, to the Phillies, who were looking to be top World Series contenders, is a massive turnaround.
Bader's gratitude is understandable, as he was on a listless team in the Twins, but now, he is on one of the top teams in baseball with the Phillies, who are looking to secure the NL East and potentially a first-round bye as well.
Bader continued to express his gratitude for the trade: "I think the gratitude is the thing that I'm overwhelmed with. ... Because there will be a point, hopefully it's after winning the World Series, where it all comes to an end. So it's just important to embrace it all."
While Bader alludes to his time in Philadelphia coming to an end, the Phillies and Bader are certainly making the most of things this season. He's a one-year rental option for the Phillies, and barring the team deciding to bring him back as a free agent, Bader will be on a new team.
Such a decision for the Phillies might not be an easy one, especially with Kyle Schwarber (who just hit his 50th home run of the season) and JT Realmuto hitting free agency this offseason. Ranger Suarez is another free agent, further complicating who comes back and who departs this winter.
MORE: Phillies' Kyle Schwarber receives $35 million free agent prediction
Bader might not return to the Phillies after he was acquired in July, but so far, he's been everything the Phillies have hoped for and more.
In the 33 games he's played with the Phillies since the trade, he has a .333 batting average, a .398 on-base percentage, and a .533 slugging percentage. His .932 OPS (and season-long .821 OPS) are by far the best numbers he's had in his career.
He has a 153 OPS+ since coming to Philadelphia, which is way more than any previous stint he's had in his nine-year MLB career. Bader is breaking out offensively and is one of the top defenders in baseball to boot as well.
There might not be a better outfielder dealt at the trade deadline than Bader, as he's provided great defense and hitting in the short time he's spent with the team so far.
Between Bader and Duran, the trade deadline moves from Dave Dombrowski have been an overwhelming success so far. While Duran was somewhat expected, the play of Bader has been a massive plus for the Phillies.
Bader is grateful the Twins traded him to a competitive team, and based on the results, the Phillies (fans, front office, players, and coaches) are grateful that Bader is a Philadelphia Phillie.
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