PHILADELPHIA — Harrison Bader on Tuesday declined his side of a $10 million mutual option for 2026.
It made him a free agent.
Bader’s decision was expected. Mutual options are rarely exercised by both the player and team. In fact, the last mutual option to be exercised was Aramis Ramirez and Milwaukee in November 2014, according to Spotrac.
Bader, 31, had perhaps the best year of his career, batting a combined .277 with 17 home runs, 54 RBIs, a .796 OPS and a 117 OPS+ with the Twins and Phillies. It only makes sense that he would try to seek a multiyear contract in free agency.
Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski expressed interest last month in bringing back Bader.
“Harrison Bader did a really nice job for us,” Dombrowski said.
Bader provided a boost both offensively and defensively, while bringing energy to the clubhouse and dugout. He batted .305 with an .824 OPS with the Phillies, who acquired him before the July 31 Trade Deadline.
But Bader suffered a leg injury in Game 1 of the NLDS against the Dodgers, keeping him out of the starting lineup the rest of the series.
“Bader got hurt at the worst time he possibly could, right?” Dombrowski said. “If he wouldn’t have gotten hurt, would it have changed the series? I don’t know. I wish we would’ve had a chance to try that.”
The Phillies will have to decide how comfortable they are signing Bader to a multiyear deal. He batted a combined .239 with a .644 OPS and 80 OPS+ from 2022-24 with the Cardinals, Yankees, Reds and Mets.
If Bader finds a better deal elsewhere, the Phillies could turn to Brandon Marsh and/or top outfield prospect Justin Crawford to play center field.
