The Phillies superstar told The Athletic on Saturday that he not only is hurt by Dave Dombrowski’s recent comments about him, but the trade speculation that followed.
“I have given my all to Philly from the start,” Harper told the website. “Now there is trade talk? I made every effort to avoid this. It’s all I heard in D.C. [with the Nationals]. I hated it. It makes me feel uncomfortable.”
Dombrowski on Oct. 16 was asked by a reporter about Harper’s 2025 season: “Why do you believe maybe that it was a down season for him and not the start of maybe a downward trend?”
Dombrowski’s response: “He’s still a quality player. He’s still an All-Star-caliber player. He didn’t have an elite season like he has had in the past. And I guess we only find out if he becomes elite or he continues to be good. If you look around the league, I think … Freddie Freeman: He’s a really good player, right? He still is a good player. Is he elite like he was before? Probably not to the same extent. Freddie is a tremendous player, and that, to me, is Bryce. Can he rise to the next level again? I don’t really know that 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. And again, it wasn’t a bad year. But when you think of Bryce Harper, you think of elite, right? You think of one of the top 10 players in baseball, and I don’t think it fit into that category. But again, a very good player. I’ve seen guys at his age — again, he’s not old — that level off. Or I’ve seen guys rise again.”
Harper, 33, batted .261 with 27 home runs, 75 RBIs and an .844 OPS, but he missed almost a month because of inflammation in his right wrist. It was Harper’s lowest OPS since 2016 (.814), and he posted his lowest OPS+ (129) since 2019 (126). But Harper’s OPS still ranked 22nd out of 145 qualified players in baseball, and his expected metrics were mostly better than in 2024, when he batted .285 with 30 homers, 87 RBIs and an .898 OPS.
“All players get hurt,” Harper said. “I hurt my wrist this year and missed a month. Of course, I don’t have full-year numbers.
“It’s disappointing to hear me being questioned about my contribution to the team. Just really hurt by that notion because I love Philly so much.”
Some took Dombrowski’s comments as a potential challenge for Harper to have a better 2026. Others speculated that it might be signs the Phillies want to trade Harper, who is entering the eighth year of a 13-year, $330 million contract.
That was never believed to be true. First, Harper has 10-and-5 rights, giving him a full no-trade clause. Second, Phillies owner John Middleton loves Harper.
“This thing’s got a life of its 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. We think he’s a great player. He’s a very important part of our team. I’ve seen him have better years. I look for him to have better years.”
Harper said he has not heard from Dombrowski or Middleton since the end of the season.
“From changing positions to coming back early from injury, I show total commitment for my team,” Harper said. “And yet there is still trade talk.”
