Phillies Reportedly Trade for Harrison Bader From Twins After Jhoan Duran Deal

After addressing the bullpen by adding closer Jhoan Durán on Wednesday night, the Philadelphia Phillies boosted their outfield on Thursday by acquiring Harrison Bader from the Minnesota Twins.

ESPN's Jeff Passan first reported Bader is being traded to Philadelphia.

Per The Athletic's Matt Gelb, the Phillies are sending outfielder Hendry Mendez and right-handed pitcher Geremy Villoria to Minnesota in the deal.

The Phillies have been connected to various outfielders, including Luis Robert Jr. and Steven Kwan, leading up to the trade deadline. Those two players were likely to have fairly high price tags, particularly Kwan, so this is a good alternative.

Bader is arguably a better player than Robert and just as valuable as Kwan at this point. He is hitting .258/.339/.439 with 12 homers and 10 stolen bases in 96 games, as well as having the versatility to play all three outfield spots.

The 31-year-old Bader ranks sixth among all outfielders in defensive runs saved (13) and tied for 15th in outs above average (five). He is one of only two outfielders in the top 10 in defensive runs saved with fewer than 800 innings played in the field.

Bader has played most of this season in left field, so he will likely slot in as Philadelphia's starter to take Max Kepler's spot. Kepler, who signed a one-year deal in the offseason, hasn't panned out with a .203/.297/.357 slash line in 351 plate appearances.

The Phillies could also keep Bader around beyond this season because his contract has a $10 million mutual option for 2026. They are locked in a battle with the New York Mets for the top spot in the NL East with one-half game separating the division rivals.

Minnesota did a good job to get value for a player who wasn't in its long-term plans. Mendez, an international free-agent signing in 2021, is hitting .290/.374/.434 in 85 games at Double-A this season.

MLB.com has Mendez ranked as the Phillies' No. 13 overall prospect. Villoria is a wild card as a 16-year-old currently pitching in the Dominican Summer League.