The Philadelphia Phillies have an unhappy superstar on their hands, and it’s all because of Dave Dombrowski. Trade speculation has surrounded Bryce Harper after the Phillies president of baseball operations questioned whether the two-time National League MVP can be an elite player again.
Harper is now speaking out for the first time since Dombrowski’s comments, saying he’s been “hurt” by the trade rumors.
“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.”
Numbers Dipped in Injury-Plagued Season
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.
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+.
“All players get hurt,” Harper explained to Gelb. “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.”
The controversy began at Dombrowski’s end-of-year press conference following another disappointing Phillies postseason exit.
“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.”
By his own standards, Bryce Harper had a down season. Will that become a trend? Dave Dombrowski says it’s up to Harper.
— On Pattison (@OnPattison) October 16, 2025
“I guess we will find out if he becomes elite, or if he continues to be good.”
(via @GraceDelPizzo) pic.twitter.com/8hjsp5yJRC
Dombrowski sought to clarify his comments during an appearance on the “Foul Territory” podcast earlier this week and clear up that the Phillies won’t be trading Harper, who has a no-trade clause.
“The reality is that he’s a great player, he’s a future Hall of Famer,” Dombrowski said. “This thing’s got a life of its own. Now I’ve been reading that 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 forward to him having better years.”
"I've been reading that the Phillies may trade Bryce Harper. That couldn't be further from the truth."
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) October 23, 2025
Dave Dombrowski says Bryce Harper is an elite talent, and his comments weren't meant to be criticism. pic.twitter.com/HMJY6TjPsv
Harper has six years left on his 13-year, $330 million contract he signed ahead of the 2019 season, which has no opt-out clauses. Harper made Philadelphia a free-agent destination, as the Phillies were able to bring in All-Stars like Zack Wheeler, Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner and Nick Castellanos while re-signing J.T. Realmuto and Aaron Nola.
“I wanted these fans to know Philly is my home, so from the start, I made the commitment to stay here for the rest of my career,” Harper said. “No opt-out, even though I was advised otherwise. I trust [owner] John [Middleton].”
He added: “From changing positions to coming back early from injury, I show total commitment for my team. And yet there is still trade talk.”
Dombrowski and Middleton are going to need to mend fences with Harper this winter. If not, it could be a very ugly spring training in Clearwater.
