Sep 21, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Philadelphia Phillies infielder Bryce Harper (3) readies himself at second base during the ninth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-Imagn Images Allan Henry
Dave Dombrowski tried to squash any idea of Bryce Harper as a trade candidate Thursday during an appearance on "Foul Territory."
But at least for another day, there will continue to be some awkwardness regarding the Phillies and the face of their franchise.
Here's what Jon Heyman of The New York Post wrote Friday:
"Harper was said by people connected to the Phillies to be “pissed off” over the comments, which were shockingly candid by today’s usually sanitized standards. Perhaps not insignificantly, Dombrowski’s words probably cast further doubt on Philly’s willingness to grant Harper’s requested extension to his original, then-record $330M, 13-year deal."
If you need a refresher, here's what Dombrowski had to say about Harper's 2025 season during his year-end press conference last week.
"I guess we'll find out if he becomes elite (again) or he continues to be good," Dombrowski said of Harper. "Can he rise to the next level? I don't really know the answer. He's the one that will dictate that more than anything else.
"I don't think he's content with the year that he had. It wasn't a bad year, but when I think of Bryce Harper, you think elite. You think one of the top 10 players in baseball. I don't think he fit into that category. Very good player, but I have no idea. I've seen guys his age ... level off, and I've seen guys rise again. We'll see what happens."
By his own standards, Bryce Harper had a down season. Will that become a trend? Dave Dombrowski says it’s up to Harper.
“I guess we will find out if he becomes elite, or if he continues to be good.”
(via @GraceDelPizzo) pic.twitter.com/8hjsp5yJRC
In his age-32 season, Harper slashed .261/.357/.487 with 27 home runs, 75 RBIs and 70 walks in 132 games. Was Dombrowski's assessment that Harper was very good but not elite — particularly by the high standards he's set for himself — correct? Yes. It was still surprising to hear him say that, and you wonder whether there was an angle in the comments, or he was just a little too honest for his own good.
Harper has not spoken publicly since Dombrowski's comments. His agent, Scott Boras, did speak to Christian Red for his Substack earlier this week about Dombrowski's comments:
“I don’t think Dave (Dombrowski) or John (Middleton) or anybody is contemplating Bryce Harper not being a Philadelphia Phillie for the rest of his career,” Boras said in a phone interview. “Remember, there’s only ten (10) qualified hitters that had a .355 OBP (On-Base Percentage) and .485 SLG (Slugging Percentage) this year: Bryce, (Shohei) Ohtani, (Kyle) Schwarber, (Juan) Soto, (Cal) Raleigh, (Aaron) Judge, (José) Ramírez, (Freddie) Freeman, (George) Springer and (Ketel) Marte. If you want to talk about Harper’s minimums due to injury, there they are.
“Pretty nice group.”
Boras didn't seem interested in escalating anything with the Phillies based off of his comments. Although he perhaps has an extra interest in staying on good terms with the Phillies considering he represents Ranger Suárez and some of the other top players available on the free-agent market this offseason, such as Alex Bregman, Cody Bellinger and Pete Alonso.
Dombrowski scoffed Thursday at the idea of the Phillies trading Harper, something that's been speculated upon since his comments.
"This thing got a life of it's own," Dombrowski said. "Now I've been reading that, 'Oh, the Phillies may trade Bryce Harper.' That couldn't be further from the truth. We love him. I think he's a great player. He's a very important part of our team." Dave Dombrowski firmly shut down the rumors about the Phillies trading Bryce Harper, per @FoulTerritoryTV. pic.twitter.com/A61G5Y4SDT
Heyman did speak to Dombrowski in his story about the two-time NL MVP being "pissed off." Dombrowski "suggested he’d probably explain his remarks to Harper at some point since Harper’s in semifrequent contact with the front office."
As we wrote previously, the curious part about Dombrowski's comments is that, even if true, there doesn't seem much to be gained by them. Harper's biggest issue has been staying healthy, something that in many ways is out of his control given that he's 33 and entered the league when he was 19. If there were work-ethic concerns, which there's no indication there are, then challenging Harper publicly makes some sense. But unless Dombrowski's comments were intended to squash any talk of an extension — which Harper's trouble staying on the field has effectively done already — it just seems like an unforced error based on an assessment that was a little too accurate to be made publicly by the team's top executive.
Harper has six remaining years on his contract and a full no-trade clause. He's almost certainly not going anywhere. Nonetheless, this is the first time since Harper joined the Phillies that there's been any indication he's upset with the organization in any way. So it's worth continuing to monitor.
