The Philadelphia Phillies have a lot of roster decisions to make this offseason.
It’s back to the drawing board for Philadelphia. Though the Phillies boasted a 96-66 record this season, the best in baseball, they will surely make changes to their roster this offseason after getting swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS. While the team will likely prioritize Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto, they could lose out on another veteran in free agency.
Philadelphia could lose 9-year veteran outfielder Harrison Bader as he’s expected to test out free agency this offseason, per Bleacher Report’s Tim Kelly.
“Entering the season, Bader was a career .242 hitter with a .698 OPS,” Kelly wrote Wednesday. “In a season that he split between the Minnesota Twins and Philadelphia Phillies, the veteran outfielder hit .277 with a .796 OPS. He was particularly effective after a midseason trade to the Phillies, hitting .305 after joining Philadelphia. Bader did injure his left hamstring in Game 1 of the NLDS, which prevented him from starting during the final three games of the Phillies’ season.
“That was a reminder that he’s dealt with injuries during his nine-year MLB career, and that there’s some risk in paying an outfielder on the wrong side of 30. With that said, there are so few impact center fielders that Bader will surely decline his half of a $10 million mutual option and head to free agency. He should have no problem getting two guaranteed years on the open market, and given the impact he had after being traded to the Phillies, don’t rule out three.”
The Phillies traded for Bader before the trade deadline this season, and he did not disappoint. In 50 games played with the Phillies this season, Bader slashed .305/.361/.824 with five home runs and 16 RBIs. The 31-year-old has a $10 million mutual option this offseason, which is expected not to be exercised, according to MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki. It’s unclear if Philadelphia will come to terms with Bader or let him walk in free agency.
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