A little-known Astros trade option comes into play if Philadelphia misses out on Harrison Bader, signaling smart maneuvering behind the scenes. DD
This would be some kind of backup plan.
With 2025 trade deadline acquisition Harrison Bader now a free agent, the Philadelphia Phillies are left to search the market for outfield help if they can’t strike a reunion.
Bader will have his price tag and will be looking for top dollar to maximize his value. He finished 2025 on a career year with a .277 batting average and a .796 OPS. The Phillies would love to bring him back into the fold for 2026, but it won’t be easy.
The free agent outfield options this winter are thin, so the Phillies could have other names in mind to widen their range to upgrade their outfield. The Houston Astros’ Jake Meyers is one name that has popped up on the trade radar.
Phillies could find outfield help in a trade for Astros’ Jake Meyers
According to Matt Gelb of The Athletic, Meyers, a 29-year-old righty hitter, could find himself the odd man out of the Astros’ outfield in 2026 (subscription required). With Houston “fielding calls on Meyers,” the Phillies may want to pivot if Bader gets too pricey.
Meyers would give the Phillies strong defense in center field and some speed with a 28.2 ft/s sprint speed, but without the power. Meyers finished 2025 with a .292 batting average with 53 runs scored, three homers, 24 RBIs and 16 stolen bases in 104 games. In 465 career games since debuting in 2021, he has a .243/.307/.371 slash line.
On the defensive side, Meyers posted a 94th percentile +11 fielding run value (FRV) in 148 games in 2024. This season, he finished in the 89th percentile with +8 FRV and in the 96th percentile with +9 outs above average.
Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski expects the payroll to be in the same neighborhood in 2026 as it was this season. The Phillies finished 2025 with a $308 million payroll and do have money coming off the books, but they would still save themselves by exploring the trade market. Meyers, for instance, earned just $2.3 million in 2025 and is still in arbitration through 2027.
The Phillies have a lot to assess this offseason. They had some key players leave for free agency, and Bader leaving only adds to the hole the team needs to fill in their outfield. The Phillies’ outfield ranked 18th in MLB with a .400 slugging percentage.
Bader helped tremendously down the stretch after the trade deadline, but now the Phillies need to regroup and find some long-term solutions for the outfield to make that part of the roster a strength in 2026 and beyond. They can’t fix it all in one move, but whether making a trade for Meyers or re-signing Bader, the Phillies know that they have to do something to change the the roster.
