Dave Dombrowski said he has spoken with Bryce Harper since the Philadelphia Phillies president of baseball operations made comments last month that left the two-time NL MVP feeling “hurt.”
“We had a nice conversation,” Dombrowski said during the GM Meetings in Las Vegas on Tuesday, via MLB.com. “Everything went well.”
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During the Phillies’ end-of-season news conference, Dombrowski wondered aloud whether the 33-year-old Harper could return to elite form following a down season statistically.
“He didn’t have an elite season like he has had in the past,” Dombrowski said at the time. “And I guess we only find out if he becomes elite or he continues to be good. … 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.”
That put the rumor mill into action and started speculation that the Phillies might look to deal Harper.
Dombrowski went on the “Foul Territory” podcast a week later to try to clarify his comments. He said the Phillies aren’t trading Harper, and he knows better seasons are ahead for the eight-time All-Star.
“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.”
Dombrowski’s comments got back to Harper, who then told The Athletic’s Matt Gelb that he felt “uncomfortable” with the speculation.
“I have given my all to Philly from the start,” Harper said. “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.”
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Harper suited up for 132 games in 2025, hitting 27 home runs, recording 75 RBI and batting .261 with an .844 OPS, numbers that were down from what he posted the previous few seasons with the Phillies
Harper, who has six years left on his contract, dealt with a wrist injury this year. He pointed to that missed time as to why it wasn’t his usual strong statistical year.
“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,” he said.
With the Dombrowski/Harper relationship beginning a smoothing over phase, the Phillies can continue looking towards 2026 after having reached the postseason in each of the past four seasons with Harper. They made the World Series in 2022 and followed that with a trip to the NLCS in 2023. The past two years, however, have not been as successful in October, with a pair of four-game defeats in the NLDS.
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Harper has signaled he’d be open to moving back to the outfield if the Phillies go out and acquire an impact first baseman, but Dombrowski said they prefer to keep him at first base going forward.
“He’s actually done that for a couple of years now,” Dombrowski said. “We really appreciate that aspect of it, but we really look at him as a first baseman at this time. I’m sure he could go out there, but he’s played at first well. He’s a good first baseman and he continues to get better. We really like our club with him there, so I think he is more of our first baseman.”
