The Winter Meetings are in full swing in Orlando, Florida, and the Philadelphia Phillies' contingent will be hoping to bring some signed deals back with them from the Sunshine State when everything wraps up on Thursday.
One goal the Phillies have this offseason is to rebuild the outfield. One name who they've said interests them is Harrison Bader. However, re-signing the short-term Phillie, who declined his $10 million mutual option, will be challenging after his free agent contract expectation was revealed.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that Bader, who will turn 32 next season, "is said to be expecting a three-year deal" (subscription required).
Harrison Bader's contract expectation might turn Phillies off from reunion
That might be too long of a term for Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski to swallow, for a few reasons. Some have to do with Bader himself, and one big one involves the Phillies' top outfield prospect Justin Crawford.
Committing three years to a center fielder who just had a career year at the plate, mostly buoyed by his exceptional and uncharacteristic two months in Philadelphia, seems foolhardy. Two years might have been easier, especially if Bader is hoping to earn more than the $10 million per year he turned down.
The timing is great for Bader's bank account, but the Phillies would be paying a premium for a player who set career bests in games (146), batting average (.277), on-base percentage (.347), OPS (.796), home runs (17), and RBIs (54) at 31 years old.
They certainly won't be getting the player who hit .305 with an .824 in 50 games after coming over at the trade deadline.
Most likely, they'd get the career .247 hitter who has a below-average .714 OPS and 96 wRC+ since he debuted in 2017. Even though he provides stellar defense, with an eight-season track record at the plate before 2025, it would be silly to believe that Bader would be able to repeat the 129 wRC+ offensive contribution he provided in his two short months here.
Crawford has been waiting for his chance with the big league club. He's done everything he can do with his skill set in the minors, dominating the competition with his bat and speed.
The Phillies are going to give Crawford that chance in 2026. They aren't 100 percent sure that the soon-to-be 22-year-old will be a major league-level defensive center fielder, at least not right away. Starting Crawford in left field next season might be ideal, but eventually, the hope must be that he will be able to take the mantle in a premier spot on the field.
When it comes down to it, signing an aging player in Bader and blocking Crawford in center for three seasons, especially considering what they'd be paying, doesn't seem practical for a team that needs to get younger.