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Why Dave Dombrowski Questioned Whether Bryce Harper Can Be 'Elite' Again for Phillies
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- Why Dave Dombrowski Questioned Whether Bryce Harper Can Be 'Elite' Again for Phillies
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The Philadelphia Phillies are dealing with a massive headache after president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski questioned whether Bryce Harper can be an "elite" player again, fueling trade speculation online and leaving the two-time National League MVP quite upset. Now, an MLB insider has revealed why Dombrowski made the comments in the first place.
The controversy began earlier this month during Dombrowski's end-of-year press conference following another disappointing Phillies postseason exit.
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"Can he rise to the next level again? I don't really know that answer," Dombrowski said at the time about Harper. "He's the one that will dictate that more than anything else is what it comes down to. I don't think he's content with the year that he had, and again, it wasn't a bad year. But when I think of Bryce Harper , you're thinking one of the top 10 players in baseball and I don't think it fit into that category, but again, a very good player."
The Fallout and Harper's Response
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Dombrowski's comments sparked speculation that the Phillies would want to deal the 33-year-old Harper, despite him being the face of the franchise and owning a no-trade clause. Dombrowski later said the Phillies would not trade Harper in an interview with the "Foul Territory" podcast, but Harper had already heard enough.
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"I have given my all to Philly from the start," Harper told The Athletic's Matt Gelb . "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."
While the Phillies navigate this offseason headache, ESPN's Buster Olney told "The Rich Eisen Show" why Dombrowski made that statement in the first place.
"Now in recent years, Bryce signed this 13-year contract without any opt-outs. He made it very clear from the first day he signed, 'I want this to be like a long-term marriage. I don't want to think about leaving the team,'" said Olney. "But in recent years, he's mentioned, 'I'd be open to an extension. Can we talk about an extension?'
"So the perception within the sport is, is Dave was trying to get ahead of that. Enough of the extension talk. You're halfway through your contract. You're starting to see some production slide a little bit. It's something that they're going to have to sort through as they go through this wintertime."
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Harper signed the $330 million deal ahead of the 2019 season, which keeps him in Philadelphia through 2031 and the age of 39. Harper has said he wants to play into his 40s.
Even though Dombrowski might have been trying to get ahead of extension talks, Olney called the comments "shocking."
"It was shocking that he said that out loud. I mean what he said was absolutely the truth," said Olney. "You get into your early 30s and you wonder, can a player continue to ascend or have we seen the slow descent? But for the head of baseball operations for the Phillies to say that out loud, that was an eye-opener, and you're wondering what's that about."
Harper missed 30 games in 2025 due to a wrist injury, and his numbers dipped across the board. His OPS fell 54 points to .844, while his OPS+ dropped 17 points to 129. His home run total decreased from 30 to 27, and his bWAR went from 4.8 to 3.2.
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Those numbers remain strong by most standards, but they're far from the MVP-caliber production Harper delivered in 2021, when he posted 35 home runs with a 1.044 OPS and 179 OPS+.
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