After signing Kyle Schwarber to a $150 million deal, the Phillies' offseason plans are likely to revolve around J.T. Realmuto, bullpen, rotation, and outfield additions.
Outfield might be one of the trickier spots to figure out, as the free agent market is expensive. But the Phillies do have some interest in bringing back one of their departing outfielders this winter, according to Todd Zolecki of MLB.com.
The outfielder the Phillies are showing interest in is a special one, as he was the player who hit the home run that sparked the infamous "Phillies-Karen" incident in Miami.
Phillies interested in re-signing outfielder who sparked infamous 'Phillies Karen' incident
"Harrison Bader remains a free agent." Zolecki writes. "They are interested in bringing him back."
With a need in the outfield, Harrison Bader is an option that the Phillies are showing interest in. Aside from hitting a home run, which brought on a lot of memes and jokes about "Phillies Karen," Bader was a great trade deadline pickup.
He hit.305 with the Phillies in 50 games during the regular season. His.824 OPS was one of the best marks from a Phillies outfielder in recent years among outfielders who played in as many games as Bader.
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He's 31 years old, and while he might not be as appealing as some other free agent outfielders like Cody Bellinger or Kyle Tucker, he will be significantly cheaper and also provide a familiar face in Philadelphia.
If it weren't for an injury in Game 1 of the NLDS, then Bader and the Phillies might've been able to go on a deeper run. His strong offense as a righty hitter, combined with great defense in center field, made Bader a huge piece of the Phillies roster.
Now a free agent, Bader is drawing interest from around the league. But, since his 2025 season was such an outlier, he might not see a strong market develop. The Phillies are interested, and re-sign the outfielder who sparked the infamous "Phillies Karen" incident.
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