5 Contending Teams Who Need the Sneaky Value of Harrison Bader at 2025 MLB Trade Deadline

[Cody Christie]

Image courtesy of © Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Twins may not be open for business in the same way some other clubs are at this year’s trade deadline, but they’ve got a few names drawing interest, and Harrison Bader might be one of the sneakiest. While most of the national attention has centered on the high-profile, controllable arms (Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, and Joe Ryan), Bader quietly holds as much trade value as anyone the Twins could realistically deal.

MLB Network insider Jon Morosi recently made a compelling case for Bader’s market.

“A righty bat who's having a really nice season with the Minnesota Twins… He's got playoff experience. He's one of those energy givers,” Morosi said. “He's got pretty good power this season and can play all around the outfield.” Morosi even went as far as saying, “I actually think among potential trade candidates for the Twins, Bader has about as much trade value as anybody does on that particular team.”

If we assume that there's more noise than signal in rumors of Ryan, Duran or Jax being dealt, he’s not wrong. Bader is doing what he was brought in to do, and then some.

Best Offensive Season Since St. Louis
Now 31, Bader signed a one-year, $6.25-million deal with Minnesota this offseason after a down year split between the Yankees and Mets. Through 90 games in 2025, he’s putting together his best offensive season since 2021, when he was still with the Cardinals. In 295 plate appearances, he's hitting .250/.332/.435, with 12 home runs, 11 doubles, nine steals, and a 109 OPS+.

He’s also giving the Twins reliable production toward the bottom of the lineup and the type of veteran presence that can be valuable in a postseason race—just maybe not Minnesota’s. It’s also worth noting that Bader brings speed, outfield versatility, and playoff experience to the table. In his big-league career, Bader has played in 31 playoff games, including 12 games with the Mets during their 2024 playoff run. He’s already played across all three outfield spots this season, and his defense remains strong.

A Scarcity at the Deadline
Good center fielders are one of the most difficult midseason upgrades to find. It’s a premium position defensively, and few contending teams are willing to give up reliable production at that spot. Bader may not be a star, but his skillset (right-handed pop, quality defense, and experience) fits the exact mold teams are looking to fill in a deadline depth boost.

The list of suitors is also starting to take shape. Morosi floated the Detroit Tigers as a potential landing spot, especially considering their outfield’s inability to stay healthy. Outside of All-Star Riley Greene, Detroit has dealt with limited availability from Parker Meadows (36 games), Wenceel Pérez (45), and Matt Vierling (20). A midseason trade between divisional rivals isn’t always easy. Still, the Twins and Tigers did agree on a deadline deal in 2022, when Minnesota acquired reliever Michael Fulmer for pitching prospect Sawyer Gipson-Long.

The New York Mets could also be a sensible fit, especially since Bader played in Queens last season. Tyrone Taylor has been dazzling with the glove but is hitting just .206/.261/.302, a 63 OPS+. Bader’s 109 OPS+ would be a sizable upgrade at the plate, and his defense wouldn’t be a major downgrade. Add in his previous stint with the Mets, and you’ve got a player already familiar with the market and expectations. A package deal that includes a bat like Bader's could make the Mets lineup feel far more October-ready.

The Philadelphia Phillies are another playoff-bound team who could use reinforcements. Philadelphia’s outfield ranks 27th in WAR this season, and center field has been a black hole. Brandon Marsh and Johan Rojas have split the job, without either player running away with it. Marsh brings more with the bat (95 wRC+), but has posted negative defensive metrics in center (-10 DRS). Rojas is slick with the glove but has slashed just .232/.287/.303, which translates to a 62 wRC+. 

Rumors surfaced over the weekend that the Dodgers were interested in Bader. While Andy Pages has taken over center field duties and done quite well, hitting with a 126 wRC+ and playing solid defense, the Dodgers’ overall outfield production has been merely average. Their outfield group ranks 12th in wRC+ (102) and 16th in fWAR (3.3) across the league. Bader’s elite glove could allow the Dodgers to push Pages into a corner and slide Michael Conforto into more of a bench/platoon role. This creates a much more well-rounded defensive alignment and a bench with real postseason depth. The Cubs have also checked in on Bader, though they'd sooner pay the same price for Willi Castro and his greater versatility.

Bader offers a solution that improves both offense and defense at a position where most contenders are assembling below-average platoons.

If the Twins are unwilling to move their elite arms without top-100 caliber prospects in return, Bader becomes one of the team’s most realistic trade chips with sneaky value. He won’t bring back a blue-chip name on his own, but his combination of production, position scarcity, and short-term cost should generate genuine interest. The front office will explore every angle, and Bader’s quietly productive season could give them more leverage than expected.

For a team like the Mets, Tigers, Dodgers, Phillies, or Cubs—one that sees itself as one or two pieces away—Bader is a cost-effective addition who wins a playoff game in October. And for the Twins, that sneaky value might be too good to pass up.

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What can the Twins get for Bader before the deadline? Will he be traded? Leave a comment and start the discussion.

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[Bob Twins Fan Since 61]

Being a Twins fan, nice to know there are teams that are interested in Bader.  More important is what is a realistic expectation of what those teams are willing to give up in return.  

[Dman]

Cody, thanks for these articles.  Always fun to guess what a players value on the market is.  you always hope that a deadline player you have is needed by several teams to up the potential return.  We will see what we get.  They have to be sellers being 5.5 games back with 3 games to go to the deadline.

[Doctor Gast]

Prospects! Are we in a retool or a rebuild? It doesn't make sense to rebuild, so why do we want redundant prospects? We need young MLB-ready players to shore up weak areas, to fuel our rebrand after Falvey is gone. Social media & teams want to give us their prospects, but I sure don't want them. IMO, Twins are stupid to take them.

[tony&rodney]

11 minutes ago, Doctor Gast said:

Prospects! Are we in a retool or a rebuild? It doesn't make sense to rebuild, so why do we want redundant prospects? We need young MLB-ready players to shore up weak areas, to fuel our rebrand after Falvey is gone. Social media & teams want to give us their prospects, but I sure don't want them. IMO, Twins are stupid to take them.

Players who are more or less MLB ready can be prospects. There are exactly zero teams that will trade a young contributing player on their current 26 person roster unless that player is seen as an extra piece that is easily replaceable. 

Do you mean AAA/AA MLB ready players? Are you specifically opposed to prospects below a certain level? If so, what level of baseball is too far removed to consider a prospect?

[rv78]

Since Ty France has a salary of 1 million and he is outperforming Carlos Correa at the plate, the "sneaky value" of Correa is less than 1 million. Good job Falvey!

[NYCTK]

49 minutes ago, Doctor Gast said:

Prospects! Are we in a retool or a rebuild? It doesn't make sense to rebuild, so why do we want redundant prospects? We need young MLB-ready players to shore up weak areas, to fuel our rebrand after Falvey is gone. Social media & teams want to give us their prospects, but I sure don't want them. IMO, Twins are stupid to take them.

You aren't getting much for Bader. If they're MLB ready, they'll be role players, #7 starter or a weak RP. 

From my Mets, someone like Dom Hamel. Maybe someone like Drew Gilbert. 

The alternative is keep Bader, win 78 games and see him go elsewhere anyways. 

[Mike Sixel]

59 minutes ago, Doctor Gast said:

Prospects! Are we in a retool or a rebuild? It doesn't make sense to rebuild, so why do we want redundant prospects? We need young MLB-ready players to shore up weak areas, to fuel our rebrand after Falvey is gone. Social media & teams want to give us their prospects, but I sure don't want them. IMO, Twins are stupid to take them.

Well, the minors are not filled. And you could get lucky. Would you rather just keep Bader and get nothing? I'm not sure your point?

[Doctor Gast]

11 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

Players who are more or less MLB ready can be prospects. There are exactly zero teams that will trade a young contributing player on their current 26 person roster unless that player is seen as an extra piece that is easily replaceable. 

Do you mean AAA/AA MLB ready players? Are you specifically opposed to prospects below a certain level? If so, what level of baseball is too far removed to consider a prospect?

It's true, if I want to compete, I'd want to trade my lotto ticket than my MLB-ready player. So that's why social media & buying team are putting lotto tickets out there as targets for MN. MIA & CWS are rebuilding, so yeah, they want prospects but we are not rebuilding, we still want to compete next year. How can we do that with MiLB players?

CWS has stated that they were willing to trade one of their outstanding rookie catchers, LAD, I've heard stated that they're willing to trade Rushing under certain conditions. Many of the trades that have happened have been MLB player for MLB player. There are young MLB SPs that haven't been established yet, teams that want to win now should be willing to trade them for established veteran players. But some teams need to find roster spots so they'd rather trade MLB players. 

If we aren't rebuilding, then to compete, we need to target promising young MLB-ready players, mainly those who had some experience & success. Otherwise, I won't trade. I may take a promising player in AAA or AA that'd could come up yet this year for an expiring contract.

[Mike Sixel]

2 minutes ago, Doctor Gast said:

It's true, if I want to compete, I'd want to trade my lotto ticket than my MLB-ready player. So that's why social media & buying team are putting lotto tickets out there as targets for MN. MIA & CWS are rebuilding, so yeah, they want prospects but we are not rebuilding, we still want to compete next year. How can we do that with MiLB players?

CWS has stated that they were willing to trade one of their outstanding rookie catchers, LAD, I've heard stated that they're willing to trade Rushing under certain conditions. Many of the trades that have happened have been MLB player for MLB player. There are young MLB SPs that haven't been established yet, teams that want to win now should be willing to trade them for established veteran players. But some teams need to find roster spots so they'd rather trade MLB players. 

If we aren't rebuilding, then to compete, we need to target promising young MLB-ready players, mainly those who had some experience & success. Otherwise, I won't trade. I may take a promising player in AAA or AA that'd could come up yet this year for an expiring contract.

You aren't getting that for two months of Bader. 

[DJL44]

You sell at the deadline and buy in the offseason. Prices are lower in the offseason because supply is higher.

[Doctor Gast]

22 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

Well, the minors are not filled. And you could get lucky. Would you rather just keep Bader and get nothing? I'm not sure your point?

My point is negotiations. What are our needs & projecting those needs to buyers. A few teams need a player like Bader at the deadline, so you negotiate for a player who can contribute next year. Just because Bader is probably leaving, so what good if take the easy way out & say ok I'll take a prospect that may contribute 2 yrs, down the road after our window is closed? Or another OFer who probably won't get a chance? I would rather not base my work on luck & hope but focus on what should work.

[Mike Sixel]

3 minutes ago, Doctor Gast said:

My point is negotiations. What are our needs & projecting those needs to buyers. A few teams need a player like Bader at the deadline, so you negotiate for a player who can contribute next year. Just because Bader is probably leaving, so what good if take the easy way out & say ok I'll take a prospect that may contribute 2 yrs, down the road after our window is closed? Or another OFer who probably won't get a chance? I would rather not base my work on luck & hope but focus on what should work.

The team still exists after 27.....They aren't getting five starters that are good for the five expiring deals. That's not realistic. 

[Doctor Gast]

24 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

You aren't getting that for two months of Bader. 

Of course, you can't get a Quero or Teel just for Bader, But you could package Bader or settle for a young promising #3 catcher instead.

[Doctor Gast]

5 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

The team still exists after 27.....

Roxs still exists after '27 but I don't expect them to do much.

[NYCTK]

14 minutes ago, Doctor Gast said:

Roxs still exists after '27 but I don't expect them to do much.

Ironically, their franchise is in a much better position. So I wouldn't be throwing stones in this glass house we're sitting in. 

[old nurse]

2 hours ago, Doctor Gast said:

Prospects! Are we in a retool or a rebuild? It doesn't make sense to rebuild, so why do we want redundant prospects? We need young MLB-ready players to shore up weak areas, to fuel our rebrand after Falvey is gone. Social media & teams want to give us their prospects, but I sure don't want them. IMO, Twins are stupid to take them.

Young MLB ready players are still prospects.  

[glunn]

2 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

You aren't getting that for two months of Bader. 

What could the Twins throw in to get a catcher who is almost MLB ready?

[Mike Sixel]

2 minutes ago, glunn said:

What could the Twins throw in to get a catcher who is almost MLB ready?

You're looking at Ford or Ballesteros, which I'm pretty sure I spelled wrong. So Seattle or the Cubs.

I think Seattle would want Jax and Castro. I'm not sure either alone gets him. Probably Jax and Castro for Ford and a SP ranked around tenth in their system who the Twins eventually after waiting too long, make a RP? Prospects, despite everyone here thinking they are useless, are highly valued by teams. 

[DFlow]

Bader is not going to pull back a hot prospect but could he pull in a quality reclamation project? I think of a guy like Kevin Parada who makes a lot of sense. Two years removed from the Twins almost drafting him and going 11th overall. Good change of scenary candidate and adds catching depth to the system. 

[Doctor Wu]

7 hours ago, DFlow said:

Bader is not going to pull back a hot prospect but could he pull in a quality reclamation project? I think of a guy like Kevin Parada who makes a lot of sense. Two years removed from the Twins almost drafting him and going 11th overall. Good change of scenary candidate and adds catching depth to the system. 

I like those kinds of ideas. You are right, 2 months of Bader will not get us much of anyone substantial, but maybe we strike gold on  reclamation project like you suggested. On the other side of the equation, we could keep Bader and re-sign him. He's been a fun and useful player to have and I would be more than happy to have him around next season too. 

[NYCTK]

3 minutes ago, Doctor Wu said:

I like those kinds of ideas. You are right, 2 months of Bader will not get us much of anyone substantial, but maybe we strike gold on  reclamation project like you suggested. On the other side of the equation, we could keep Bader and re-sign him. He's been a fun and useful player to have and I would be more than happy to have him around next season too. 

OK but he's a free agent (almost certainly). This is a bad team and he likely would prefer to sign with a good team. You can't just say you want to keep and sign him when there's no guarantee of that, and nothing to really suggest trading precludes you from signing him if that's what you really want to do. 

[Doctor Wu]

8 minutes ago, NYCTK said:

OK but he's a free agent (almost certainly). This is a bad team and he likely would prefer to sign with a good team. You can't just say you want to keep and sign him when there's no guarantee of that, and nothing to really suggest trading precludes you from signing him if that's what you really want to do. 

True, He certainly would not be the first player we traded away and then signed again later. I think we did that with Rick Aguilera once or even twice!

[cjm0926]

If possible I'd be interested in packaging Bader and Coulombe to the Mets for Drew Gilbert. Former top prospect who has fallen out of their plans, but is having a solid resurgence year in AAA with a .790 OPS and appears to be big league ready. It would allow you to also move Larnach for something and replace him with Gilbert, who is faster and a better fielder, and has a similar hitting profile. Gilbert could also probably play a decent CF, so thats a plus. The new outfield would be Gilbert, Buxton, Wallner with depth pieces such as Martin, Keirsey, ERod, McCusker, Gonzalez, Jenkins, Rosario, Fedko and whoever else you may acquire in a trade. Plenty of guys to give chances and shake things up a bit.

[Bodie]

10 hours ago, glunn said:

What could the Twins throw in to get a catcher who is almost MLB ready?

Probably an "almost MLB ready" player at another premium position. 

 

Not like the Twins are the only ones looking at decent catchers.  Kinda like pitching in that there is never enough quality to go around  - and the differences between the top and bottom tiers are astounding!

[JD-TWINS]

13 hours ago, NYCTK said:

You aren't getting much for Bader. If they're MLB ready, they'll be role players, #7 starter or a weak RP. 

From my Mets, someone like Dom Hamel. Maybe someone like Drew Gilbert. 

The alternative is keep Bader, win 78 games and see him go elsewhere anyways. 

OR, hang on to him and sign him under new ownership at $9.5M.

With Wallner & Larnach almost certainly coming back with the potential of Emma being pretty serious contender, that’s 3 lefties with Buxton in OF going forward……..maybe Keaschall but I think he’s the new (more limited) Willi Castro, playing 2B & corner OF.

Bottom line is they’ll be looking for a RH hitting OF. Could trade Bader AND try to re-sign him? Seems he has a player option for ‘26 (team option, maybe not?) that would travel with him.

I see him declining at the plate over the months (expected) and am not stuck on him but he does play good defense and brings an upbeat attitude to the yard every day…..that’s a big deal IMO.

Kiersey, along with Adams, need to be given to another team in trade or more realistically, DFA’d. Can’t see Kiersey as any kind of option in the Show in ‘26 or even August of ‘25! If they trade Bader & Castro, Buxton gets way more days off unless there’s some unforeseen 7 game win streak in the near future………these events put Kiersey in position to start ballgames through balance of the year. Sure hope that doesn’t happen!

[NYCTK]

39 minutes ago, cjm0926 said:

If possible I'd be interested in packaging Bader and Coulombe to the Mets for Drew Gilbert. Former top prospect who has fallen out of their plans, but is having a solid resurgence year in AAA with a .790 OPS and appears to be big league ready. It would allow you to also move Larnach for something and replace him with Gilbert, who is faster and a better fielder, and has a similar hitting profile. Gilbert could also probably play a decent CF, so thats a plus. The new outfield would be Gilbert, Buxton, Wallner with depth pieces such as Martin, Keirsey, ERod, McCusker, Gonzalez, Jenkins, Rosario, Fedko and whoever else you may acquire in a trade. Plenty of guys to give chances and shake things up a bit.

Mets just traded for a LHRP and probably aren't that interested in Coulombe, but could get something like Vientos AND Gilbert, plus an arm like Dohm for Jax and Bader. I will say, Gilbert seems like he's a bit lacking in defense so I don't expect him to be over a 2 WAR player at any point. 

Is that intriguing? 

Otherwise, if you don't want to do a package, Gilbert for Bader is likely a close swap. 

[NYCTK]

7 minutes ago, JD-TWINS said:

OR, hang on to him and sign him under new ownership at $9.5M.

OR, trade him and you can still try to sign him. If you're good at people management a trade to a contender won't have any adverse effect on your efforts to bring him back as a free agent. Especially since he gets a 500K bonus if traded! 

His option is mutual so there's very little chance it's exercised. 

[jorgenswest]

13 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

You're looking at Ford or Ballesteros, which I'm pretty sure I spelled wrong. So Seattle or the Cubs.

Do you think Ballesteros will stick at catcher?

From Fangraphs full report

Quote

Ballesteros' best defensive attribute is his arm accuracy. He doesn't have an all-world hose, but he has a surprisingly quick release for a guy his size and throws a lot of accurate one-hoppers to second in the 1.95-2.00 second range, sometimes from his knees. His receiving has improved to a place of viability, but his ball-blocking, especially to his left, mostly has not. Though this problem was much more pronounced during the 2024 Arizona Fall League than it was during the regular season, it's an issue that might prevent him from catching pitchers whose stuff is apt to expose his issues, and in his particular case that means guys whose stuff tends to finish in the dirt.

From MLB

Quote

Much heavier than his listed 195 pounds, Ballesteros has well-below-average speed and quickness, giving him no value on the bases and leading to questions about his long-term viability as a catcher. In 72 games behind the plate last year, he committed seven errors and 13 passed balls while surrendering 87 steals in 99 attempts (88 percent). He does feature soft hands, which along with his hitting ability earns him some Alejandro Kirk comparisons, and he’ll flash solid arm strength that plays down because of his slow footwork and transfer. First base is his only other realistic position, but no big leaguer 5-foot-8 or shorter has played 100 games in a season there since Joe Judge in 1930.

Rushing has much better numbers as a catcher but might be more expensive. If they want to take a chance on a guy who has questions at catcher but can hit they could consider Luis Campusano. He might be a buy low they can pick up with giving up any key player with control.

Ford would be awesome.

[Fire Dan Gladden]

Everybody of value not expected back next year should be on the block. I don't think Bader is under-the-radar, I think teams are a little nervous that his offensive production will regress to previous years.

If the Twins think this is the real Bader, they should look to extend him. Bader in LF, Buxton in CF gives them some relief with defensive concerns in RF, and provides a viable injury backup for Buxton.