Ex-Cardinals Gold Glove Winner Called 'Realistic' Target for Phillies

The Phillies are going to be an intriguing team to watch this offseason

May 26, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of a Philadelphia Phillies hat and glove on the bench against the Atlanta Braves in the seventh inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Big moves have started popping up across Major League Baseball but there still are a lot of players still available.

Pitchers and catchers will start reporting to Spring Training camps in February and before then dozens of impact players will need to find new homes. Free agency has started to heat up but there are a lot of very good players still available. Sure, Spring Training isn't a hard deadline for players to sign, and there will be players that get new deals during the spring, but a large chunk will sign before.

One former member of the St. Louis Cardinals who still is out there in free agency looking for a new home is outfielder Harrison Bader. The 30-year-old won a Gold Glove Award as a member of the Cardinals in 2021 and spent the first five-plus seasons of his big league career in St. Louis before being traded to the New York Yankees in 2022.

Since then, he spent time with the Yankees, Cincinnati Reds, and also the New York Mets. He was with the Mets in 2024 and hit 12 home runs and drove in 51 runs.

He's still available in free agency and Bleacher Report's Zachary Rymer suggested him as a possible fit for the Philadelphia Phillies in free agency.

"Philadelphia Phillies: CF Harrison Bader," Rymer said. "The Phillies are more likely to be active on the trade market than in free agency, but the open market could potentially be their ticket to adding an insurance option for center field.

"Which is basically to say that Bader is there if they want him. He's nothing if not a superb defender, and even the 12 home runs he hit this year would have been a godsend for the Phillies. They got only nine long balls out of center field all season."

Philadelphia won 95 games in the regular season in 2024 and is on the lookout for outfield help. This seems to be a solid suggestion. Maybe the former Cardinals outfielder will stay in the National League East in 2025 but as a member of the Phillies.

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