Harrison Bader on not re-signing with the Phillies: ‘Why I’m not with them, I don’t know’

Harrison Bader has found a landing spot in San Francisco.

The former Phillies outfielder has agreed to a deal with the Giants, per multiple reports. He did not get the reported three years he was looking for, but he did get a slight raise at $10.25 million per season over two years.

Getting multiple years was important to Bader after signing one-year deals in each of the last two offseasons. He spoke about his free agency, the decision to sign with San Francisco and why he’s not back in Philadelphia on “The Show” with Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman.

“I’ll just say this now: My time in Philadelphia was probably some of the best baseball I’ve ever been a part of,” Bader said. “That was the most incredible fanbase I ever had the opportunity to play in front of for a couple months. You go around that locker room, and I don’t want to leave anybody out. But you talk about Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto, Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, those are guys you just have so much respect for. The way I put it is they sit at a different table in the major leagues. The energy they bring, the talent they have, their level of production, their level of consistency. Getting to share a locker room with those guys is something I will remember forever.

“And you talk about the front office and some personnel. Rob Thomson, Kevin Long, John Middleton brought his energy every single day whenever he was at the ballpark. It’s just a fantastic ownership group. Dave Dombrowski every single day, whether it was on the road or before and after the game. It’s just so many amazing people that I got an opportunity to share baseball with and share the game with and share a locker room with that, just an amazing amazing experience. Kind of using that to fuel that I really did want to find a home.”

Acquired in a deadline deal with the Twins, Bader was a stabilizing presence in both the lineup and the outfield. He slashed .305/.361/.463 in 194 plate appearances with the Phillies and played excellent center field defense on a nearly everyday basis. Before Bader’s arrival, the outfield ranked 24th in baseball in OPS, 19th in batting average, 25th in slugging percentage and 26th in FanGraphs WAR. After Bader’s arrival, the outfield ranked 7th in OPS, 4th in batting average, 6th in slugging percentage and 15th in FanGraphs WAR. He also stepped into the leadoff spot when Turner went on the injured list in September. His impact in the postseason was limited, as Bader suffered a groin injury in Game 1 of the NLDS.

Dombrowski at the beginning of the offseason expressed interest in bringing him back, but the Phillies prioritized other areas of the roster and jumped on the opportunity to sign Adolis Garcia to a one-year, $10 million deal.

Perhaps things play out a little differently if the Phillies waited out Bader’s market.

“With regards to the Phillies, I just think they have a lot of people to worry about,” Bader said. “There’s a lot of money at stake and it’s not just as simple as thinking about me and my career when they’re trying to construct a roster. Why I’m not with them, I don’t know. I don’t know, but it doesn’t diminish the amazing experience I had there. It doesn’t diminish the incredible two-and-a-half months I had there. … I just think they went a different way, which is totally OK.”

The Phillies will move forward without Bader anchoring the outfield. Rookie Justin Crawford is nearly a lock to open the year as the starting center fielder, with Brandon Marsh in left on the strong side of a platoon and Garcia in right. There will likely be tweaks along the way.

For Bader, he gets the opportunity to play center field for first-year manager Tony Vitello, who is making the ambitious jump from college to the majors leagues. A former University of Florida product, Bader is excited to play under the former Tennessee Volunteers head coach.

“It’s going to be exciting,” Bader said. “I know (Tony) brings a lot of energy. Everyone has the greatest things to say about him. That’s all you can ask for. You just want consistent, high positive energy every single day over the course of an eight-month season. I have no reason to believe he’s not going to bring that, and I just can’t wait to work alongside him.”