The Phillies have strengthened their lineup by trading for outfielder Harrison Bader from the Twins.

Baseball president Dave Dombrowski has bolstered the championship roster ahead of the trade deadline: following the acquisition of closer Jhoan Duran yesterday, today he traded rookie Hendry Mendez and Geremy Villoria to the Twins for outfielder Harrison Bader.

Trade Details
Phillies received: Outfielder Harrison Bader
Twins received: Right-handed pitcher Geremy Villoria, outfielder Hendry Mendez (ranked 20th on the Twins' prospect list).

The 31-year-old Bader has a mutual option worth $10 million for 2026, with a batting average of .258 and an OPS of .778 this season, marking his best performance in nine years. "He has proven his abilities this season," Dombrowski stated, "and we believe he can maintain his form." Bader's hitting stats are balanced against both right-handers (OPS of .779) and left-handers (OPS of .774), and his defensive stats show above-average outs above average (19th among 103 qualified outfielders), outperforming Nick Castellanos, who is below average by 11 outs.

Bader's arrival delays rookie Justin Crawford's (ranked 3rd in the farm system) promotion to the majors. "Crawford is ready for the big leagues, but needs consistent playing time," Dombrowski explained, "it's not the best time right now." He also confirmed that Max Kepler (with an OPS of .654 this season) will continue to play left field.

The Phillies designated right-handed pitcher Brett de Geus for assignment to clear space on the 40-man roster, with adjustments to the 26-man roster coming tomorrow. Dombrowski emphasized that he would never trade top prospect Andrew Painter (ranked 8th overall in MLB): "He has the potential to become an ace."

Regarding the proposal for Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber to switch to the outfield, the management ultimately rejected it: "Harper has become an excellent first baseman, and Schwarber's contributions as a designated hitter are outstanding; moving positions could disrupt our defensive structure."

The team has recently added Duran and David Robertson, and José Alvarado will be activated on August 2, with Aaron Nola returning to the rotation in mid-August. "Now we just need to prove our abilities on the field," Dombrowski concluded.