Harrison Bader's impossibly good stats vs. Mets prove he's out for vengeance

Harrison Bader has been everything the Philadelphia Phillies thought he would be and more when they traded for the outfielder at this year's trade deadline. He's had his fingerprints on every game as of late and has taken the starting center field job as the Phillies continue to roll towards October. The Phillies made their biggest statement of the season with a resounding four-game sweep of the New York Mets to put the NL East division race to bed.

They lead the Mets by a season-high 11 games and should clinch their second consecutive division title sometime next week. Everybody in the lineup has contributed in some way during the sweep, but none more than Bader, who has proven to be the ultimate thorn in the Mets' side since coming to Philadelphia.

Phillies pickup Harrison Bader has been unbelievably elite against the Mets in 2025

There was no better time for Bader to torment the Mets than this series. It was unfortunate timing to lose both Trea Turner and Alec Bohm before the series opener, but Bader has slid into Turner's leadoff spot and excelled immediately.

Bader gave the Phillies a lead they would not relinquish after his go-ahead RBI single in the sixth inning Thursday that put a stamp on a historically dominant run against his former squad.

It was known in late July that the Phillies were interested in a right-handed outfielder to bolster their lineup. The pending free agent Bader seemed like a possibility but he's been known as a glove-first kind of player for the bulk of his nine-year MLB career. The acquisition of Bader from Minnesota was viewed as the team patching a need, but he certainly wasn't seen as an impact bat of this magnitude. Bader's hitting an outrageous .339/.403/.539 with four home runs and numerous clutch hits for the Phillies, as he's become the most impactful bat traded at the deadline.

Like the Phillies, the Mets were seeking a high-quality outfield bat on July 31. Instead of reuniting with Bader, who appeared in 143 games with the team in 2024, the Mets opted to go with Cedric Mullins of the Baltimore Orioles. Mullins was once viewed as one of the brightest young outfielders in the league in Baltimore, but his production has tailed dramatically in recent years and has flatlined in New York.

Mullins' .183/.297/.280 slash line is awful across the board, and he started just once over the four games in Philadelphia. The Mullins trade has become just one of a few hilarious deadline flops for the Mets, who are clinging on to the NL's final wild card spot by just 1 1/2 games. The Phillies are undoubtedly thankful their rivals opted not to go with Bader and are instead on the verge of a dramatic collapse.