Oct 26, 2025
3 min read
Philadelphia - Bryce Harper is not happy. The Phillies Phillies Superstar told sports on Saturday that it's not because of Dave Dombrowski's recent advice on him, but the business advice that worked. "I gave everything to be lifted from the beginning," Harper told the website."Now there is
PHILADELPHIA - Bryce Harper doesn't sound happy.
The Phillies superstar told The Athletic on Saturday that he was not only hurt by Dave Dombrowski's recent comments about him, but also the trade speculation that followed.
"I gave everything to Philly from the beginning," Harper told the website."Now this is Trade Talk? I'm doing everything to avoid it. That's all I hear in D.C. [with the nationals]. I hate it.
DOMBRETKI In OEC.16, a reporter asked about Dorper's 2025 season: "Why do you believe in his time and the beginning of the event?"
Dombrowski's response: "He's still a good player. He's still an All-Star caliber player. He's not having the elite season he's had in the past. I think we'll just find out if he becomes elite or if he continues to be good. When you look around the league, I think... Freddie Freeman: He's a very good player, isn't he? He's still the same as a good player. Frededie is not. an elite player."For me, Bryce is a great player. Can he go to the next level again? I really don't know the answer to that. He is the one who can make the best decision on that.
"I don't think he was happy with the year he had. And again, it wasn't a bad year. But when you think of Bryce Harper, you think elite, right? You think of a top 10 player in baseball, and I don't think he falls into that category. But again, he's a very good player. I've seen guys his age - again, he's not old - below that level. Or I've seen guys take it a step further."
Harper, 33, batted .261 with 27 home runs, 75 Ribis and .844 Ops, but he missed almost a month due to a strain in his neck.He had his lowest OPS since 2016 (.814), and posted his lowest OPS+ (129) since 2019 (129).But Harper's ops are still about 11th out of 145 eligible hitters, and his prospects were better than 2024, when he hit 30 home runs, 87 ops.
“All the players get hurt,” Harper said."I hurt my ankle this year and missed a month. Of course, I don't have full year numbers."
"It's disappointing to hear that I'm being questioned about my contribution to the team. It just hurts because I love Philly so much."
Some have taken the view of the elephants as a potential challenge for Horizon, which has the potential to achieve better results by 2026.
This is never true.First, Harper is eligible for 10-and-five, giving him a complete no-trade.Second, Phillies owner John Middleton loves Harper.
Regardless, Dombrowski publicly shut down the rumors Thursday in a "dirty scene" video.
"This thing has your life. Now I'm reading it, 'Oh, the Phillies can trade Hryce Harper.' He's not having a good year. I've seen him have better years."
Harper said he hasn't heard from Dombrowski or Middleton since the season ended.
Maybe he will soon
"Changing positions to make an early return due to injury shows our commitment to my team," Harper said.
