Breaking: Harrison Bader Traded to Philadelphia Phillies

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Harrison Bader, Minnesota Twins
Credit: Jordan Johnson-Imagn Images

If it’s not broke, don’t fix it I guess. The Minnesota Twins sent Jhoan Duran to the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday evening. It was a 2-for-1 trade, with the Phillies sending a pair of prospects back to Minnesota.

In what winds up being an entirely new trade, the Twins are now sending Harrison Bader to the same organization and they have two more former Phillies prospects to add into the system.

Minnesota Twins deal with Phillies again, now for Bader

After the Minnesota Twins were trounced by the Red Sox 13-1 on Wednesday, they moved their closer. The clubhouse was up in arms after a dismal effort, but more moves that were always going to be coming. The Phillies called and Derek Falvey once again obliged.

Minnesota signed Bader to a one-year deal for $6.25 million this offseason. He has had one of the most productive seasons of his career. The .258/.339/.439 slash line has resulted in a 111 OPS+. His 2.0 fWAR ranks second on the Twins behind only Byron Buxton.

Bader now goes to a Phillies team that needs help in the outfield. They signed former Twins lefty Max Kepler this offseason, but he has been predictably poor with a career-worst 80 OPS+.

Philadelphia could play Bader at any of the three outfield spots. He showed Twins fans a quick aptitude for left field next to Byron Buxton. Of late he has filled in as the centerfielder and looks to be every bit the defensive standout he has always been.

MN Twins get young prospects in return

When the Twins traded Jhoan Duran to the Phillies it needed to be for a haul. He was under team control and a significant part of the potential future. Harrison Bader is an impending free agent, and while a reunion would be fun this winter, the return was always going to be much lighter.

Hendry Mendez is a 21-year-old outfielder at Double-A. In 85 games this season for Reading he owns a .290/.374/.434 slash line. His eight home runs this year are a career-high, so it’s possible power will never be his calling-card. It’s a projectable body though, and he is left-handed.

Geremy Viloria has yet to start his professional career. He is just 16 years old and signed for $425,000 as an international free agent in January.

These would be the lottery ticket types to expect from a rental, but Minnesota now has opportunity to develop them.

What do the Twins do in the outfield now?

Rocco Baldelli will have to shuffle his lineup when the team returns to the field on Friday against Cleveland. Byron Buxton is on the injured list with cartilage irritation, and neither Matt Wallner or Trevor Larnach are centerfielders.

It is still assumed that Willi Castro will be traded, and that means DaShawn Keirsey Jr. is the only capable centerfielder on the roster. He’ll get substantially more run the rest of the way. It’s also possible that Austin Martin joins the team from Triple-A St. Paul.

By piecing out the big league roster, Minnesota will have plenty of holes to fill. Those should be utilized to determine who is worth keeping for next year and into the future.

Related: MN Twins Clubhouse Boils Over as Trade Deadline Looms

Bader’s departure is the third move Minnesota made, quickly followed by Brock Stewart. They join Chris Paddack and Duran as departing talents. Bader going to Philly with a teammate is fun, and the vibes next to Bryce Harper could be immaculate.

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