3:15pm: Harper spoke to Matt Gelb of The Athletic about his feelings on the situation, with Gelb describing Harper as “confused and upset.”
“I have given my all to Philly from the start,” Harper told 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.”
Harper went on to note he’s not heard from either Dombrowski or Phillies managing partner John Middleton since the end of the season and described Dombrowski’s comments as “disappointing.” In his comments to Gelb, Harper highlighted his decision to not negotiate an opt-out clause into his contract because of his desire to show a commitment to the city of Philadelphia.
That certainly makes it sound as though Harper has no intention of waiving his no-trade clause even amid the current rumors, and he expressed frustration about trade talk coming up at all given the “total commitment” he’s shown to the team by moving to first base and coming back ahead of schedule from injuries.
9:33am: In his season wrap-up press conference with the media (including MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki) last week, Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski described Bryce Harper’s 2025 campaign as something less than “an elite season like he has had in the past,” and expressed some vague uncertainty over whether or not Harper would be able to once again be an MVP-caliber star. While not really a criticism of Harper, Dombrowski’s comments created a bit of a stir, as Jon Heyman of the New York Post heard that Harper was “pissed off,” in the words of “people connected to the Phillies.”
Dombrowski has now spent the last two days downplaying any notion that the club is unhappy with Harper, or that the two-time NL MVP could possibly be nearing the end of his time in Philadelphia. The executive told the New York Post by phone that, simply, “Bryce Harper’s not getting traded. He’s a great player. He’s a future Hall of Famer. He’s a cornerstone of our franchise, and we look to have him be with us a long, long time.”
Dombrowski said that he had yet to speak to Harper since the press conference but probably would in order to further clarify things, again noting that he didn’t view his comments as an insult. Turning back to Dombrowski’s initial remarks from the press conference, the PBO said that going forward with Harper, “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.”
Over 580 plate appearances in 2025, Harper hit .261/.357/.487 with 27 home runs. This production translated to a 131 wRC+, which is the fifth-lowest of Harper’s 14-year Major League career. Of course, the fact that a 131 wRC+ counts as a down year for Harper is a testament to his high standard of play, and only 24 qualified batters in all of baseball topped the 131 wRC+ mark this season. From an fWAR perspective, Harper’s 3.5 total was tied for 45th amongst all qualified batters.
In an interview on the Foul Territory show on Thursday, Dombrowski said he viewed his statement about Harper’s season as “a compliment,” given how a 3.5 fWAR/131 wRC+ campaign would be a career highlight for many players.
“The reality is there are eight to 10 players in the game of baseball every year, when they’re not let’s say in the MVP consideration for whatever reason — sometimes it can be an injury factor, sometimes they just have a bad year — but whatever, it’s not an elite year for them….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 just turned 33 last week, and Dombrowski acknowledged that there are natural concerns to be had about any player when he gets deeper into his 30’s. Yet, these aging concerns were already baked into the fact that the Phillies signed Harper to a 13-year, $330MM contract. As Dombrowski said on Foul Territory, in terms of gauging how players will continue to perform into their 30’s, “I’d take my chances with Bryce more than most, because Bryce is an elite talent. He’s a very very talented individual and he’s driven.”
Harper has already battled plenty of injuries during his career, including a bout of wrist inflammation that sidelined him for most of June. Dombrowski told the Post that Harper’s wrist problems were a factor in his 2025 season, though the PBO didn’t mention the injury during the press conference.
Speaking with Zolecki earlier this week, Harper’s agent Scott Boras said he “was surprised” that Dombrowski didn’t initially acknowledge the wrist issue, but otherwise had no problems with the executive’s comments. What Boras is hoping to see is more lineup protection for Harper in 2026, as the agent noted that Harper saw pitches in the zone only 43 percent of the time this season. Harper primarily hit third in Philadelphia’s lineup, with Trea Turner usually hitting leadoff and slugger Kyle Schwarber as the primary No. 2 hitter. The bulk of the Phillies’ cleanup at-bats went to Nick Castellanos and J.T. Realmuto, who each had below-average years at the plate (Castellanos a 90 wRC+, Realmuto 94 wRC+).
Dombrowski perhaps put it best when he said that “this thing has got a life of its own,” in terms of how his press conference comments have become a talking point. Dombrowski didn’t say anything untrue about Harper’s season, and it is also natural for a competitor like Harper to take umbrage at any idea that he is no longer one of baseball’s top players.
Harper is now past the halfway point of his 13-year megadeal, and is still owed $144MM over the final six seasons of the contract. It was just shy of two years ago that Harper and Boras raised the idea of a contract extension, though there seemingly hasn’t been any movement on that front, which is understandable since the Phillies likely felt no urgency or need to extend a player who was already locked up through his age-38 season.
In terms of trade possibilities, Harper has a full no-trade clause, and might well revisit a contract extension as a condition for accepting a deal. However, while Dombrowski has swung his share of blockbuster trades in the past, there is no reason to suspect Harper is a trade candidate this winter or in the foreseeable future. The Phillies are clearly in win-now mode, and Harper’s importance to the lineup becomes even greater if Schwarber and/or Realmuto left in free agency this winter.
Boras using his best buddy to try to cause trouble so Phillies make Bryce happy by adding to his contract so Boras can make more money. So transparent it is embarrassing. Love Bryce but he is not elite, certainly not if defined as current top ten.
He is #7 which is in top 10.
fangraphs.com/leaders/major-league?lg=all&qua…
#7 in WAR among first basemen is not top 10 in the league. He’s behind Pete Alonso, and barely ahead of Contreras.
He didn’t specify. Being aa good as Vlad Jr is certainly elite.
I would say there’s only 2-5 guys at every fielding position that are considered elite, because if we said all top 10 guys for every position are elite we would be saying guys like Andres gimenez are elite
For 1st basemen the elite guys are Freddie and vlad (with his postseason) and maybe Nick kurtz or Michael Busch
Busch cant hit lefties. You dont platoon “elite” players. I love Bisch (pun intended) but he’s not n elite (yet)
Being as good as Vlad in what year? Players have up and down years. If you’re going to use the argument he didn’t specify top 10 in what than I can say he meant top 10 beards in baseball.
He did specify….He said “when you think of Bryce Harper, you think elite, you’re thinking one of the top 10 players in baseball,”
He did not qualify 1B. He did not even qualify Hitters.
Using your logic, I could claim every player in MLB is “Top 10”. I will add a qualifier to each player so no more than 10 players qualify.
My response was for baseballisthebest who didnt specify.
Are you trying to say Vlad Jr is not elite? Because he was as good as Vlad Jr.
He better be in the top 10 at his position with his Salary. He still has 6 more years and never can play a full season. Hes solid but not elite.
Why? Is he in top 10 in annual salary at his current position?
fangraphs.com/leaders/war or 75th overall.
Neither screams MVP Caliber Season or “Greatness”.
The GM calling that a “Very Good Season” is not insulting.
Totally agree. He’s a really good player at this point in his career and that’s not a bad thing. He’s probably better than 75% of the league. His recent reaction to DDs remarks that were reality is not good for his brand in Philly, and makes him seem tone deaf. Since 2019, he’s never been questioned or criticized. This past post season, he came up small, so did Turner and Schwarber but, no one beat them up for it. But when you come off like a baby after some real feedback, you open yourself up to getting flack moving forward. He put himself in a spot to have fans question what have you done for me lately rather than thanks for everything you have been doing since 2019 and giving it your all.
Why does this article even need to be written
To further dispel writers’ ragebait headlines: Bryce Harper Sad and Wants Out of Philly
YBC – Yep. In some instances not dignifying ridiculous reports with a response is the best way to go. Unfortunately this was not one of those instances.
Because Heyman and Sherman have been pushing this nonsense even though neither are clearly connected with the Phillies. That nitwit Sherman is so blatant about this stuff he said the Phillies are a threat to sign Cody Bellinger when anyone with half a brain knows the last thing they need is another left handed bat.
If Dumb and Dumber over at the NY Post were charged $10 for every bad rumor they’d be homeless.
Black Ace love it ! Love the perfect way of saying it exactly the same way that I and so many others see it! Forget about the truth and decency today it’s all about likes and click bait …..Good journalism is so hard to find and that’s very sad. On the bright side you made me laugh
All you can do is get frustrated at their nonsense or laugh I’m like you I prefer to laugh at it
I feel sorry Drombowski. I heard his comments and have read his follow up. These writers are scum. Harper’s reaction is disappointing. I would have thought he’d behave better.
I don’t blame Harper for getting upset. The Philly sports media market is horrible when it comes to how much they love to signal boost and amplify this kind of nonsense. Just look at all the AJ Brown trade talk for two years.
Sports media everywhere is like this now. Especially “rumors”, because they don’t have to prove any of it. Bruce Levine, in Chicago, is spouting that the Cubs are “definitely in on Dylan Cease”. BS. Ricketts will never pony up what it would take to sign a high dollar Boras client, but still, Levine’s getting quoted all over town.
rondon
Sports media everywhere is like this now. Especially “rumors”,
======================
Of course. The problem is that some people take these things seriously. No GM is going to tell a writer what they really think. No one ever tells a seller what their top price is for a house or a car. The entire reporting structure is there to provide entertainment for the fans.
The RS have 4-5 outfielders that might be everyday players, but I fully expect to hear the RS connected with a FA outfielder.
I’m saying we put too much of a spotlight on these writers who have to verify nothing.
Wow
IMO, why not trade Harper. The Phillies are an aging team and need to get younger. I think they should consider anything right now.
Mlb – Look how close they came to beating the Dodgers, even without Wheeler.
You rebuild losing teams, not division winners.
PHI would lack identity, esp. without Schwarb. Harper’s contract to PHI is affordable by today’s standards, so unless they have a better/cheaper replacement in tow, getting rid of him would do more damage short term, especially considering how the fan base would react. I agree they should get younger, but plug-in some of their young prospect talent (SP Painter, SS Miller, OF Crawford) mixed with some high-priced vets.
@mlbnyyfan,
You know you want to finish your thought, “IMO, why not trade Harper” (to the Yankees for next to nothing while covering most of his salary).
Who would be able to trade for 33 year old Harper and his contract??? Phillies are tied to Harper whether they like it or not
The Phillies like it, and he isn’t going anywhere. There’s little-to-no transaction news during the World Series, so nudniks like Heyman need to create stories.
Bryce Eldridge for Bryce Harper?
Maybe Harper should attack Dombrowski and intimidate him, that seems to be his way when he’s not happy with someone.
If you’re referring to what he said to $25 million/year commissioner of baseball Rob Manfred, it was well deserved. At what point did average Americans stop rooting for labor and instead suck up to billionaires and their lies? Guess what- you will never be a billionaire.
At what point do athletes signed to enormous contracts cease to become relatable as “labor”?
It’s not about the dollar value. It’s about the power imbalance. Regardless of how much any player makes they will never have the negotiating power of the team owners. That’s how the MLBPA is relatable to tradespeople like myself who individually will never have the bargaining power of the company owners.
Certainly higher wages come with the territory but hating people for making good money (unless it’s all the money, in which case they’re anointed wunderkind) is a purely American phenomenon that I can’t be bothered to attempt to understand.
At what point did they?
The enormity of their contracts pales in comparison to the revenue and power held by the owners, who own nothing without the players’ hard work and talent.
And think they’re doing us a favor when they let taxpayers build them new stadiums while simultaneously railing against the evils of socialism
They take on all the risk though. Its far more accurate to say that without their capital there would old be no baseball than to say without the players because you can get new players (they won’t be as good) but there are fewer billionaires that want to buy baseball teams.
But there is no risk in them owning their big toys. These are not risky investments. As an example, the Minnesota T-Wolves sold for 1.5 billion in 2021, but the sale was hung up until 2024. The owner tried to cancel the sale. Why? Because he knew he undersold it. Since then, the Lakers have been valued at 10 billion, and the Celtics sold for 6 billion. There is absolutely no risk involved in owning a sports franchise. Even WNBA teams are profitable, with the exception of the ones still owned by NBA owners, who have purposefully undervalued that league as a means of tax write offs. The owners and their commissioners have been playing a long game with the general public, just like the Republicans have since Reagan, and look where we are. The middle class has evaporated, the wealth is in the hands of the oligarchs, and we are fighting for scraps as AI is used to replace us.
Certainly higher wages come with the territory but hating people for making good money (unless it’s all the money, in which case they’re anointed wunderkind) is a purely American phenomenon
===========================
I agree 1000%.
I do not care that the Philly owner is a billionaire.
I do not care that Harper is slowly closing on a billion.
I have enough. Those that have more are usually smarter and/or work harder. Why would I give a rat’s a$$? If you doubled or tripled my net worth, it would make -0- difference to my lifestyle.
Chicken In Philly?
who own nothing without the players’ hard work and talent.
======================
FWIW, all these guys were billionaires before they bought the team.
Chicken In Philly?
and we are fighting for scraps as AI is used to replace us.
========================
When I was a kid, the meme was that mainframe computers were going to replace us. As I got older, PCs were going to replace us. All they did was to allow me to become more productive. And I am still here.
The entire history of the world is that machines are going to replace workers.
Joe, it is not even debatable that both things are already true: technology has revolutionized work, and it has also decimated our labor market. Yes, jobs still exist, but they are no longer even close to the same types of jobs- they are low wage, mostly service industry/without benefits, and have high turnover. Ask any college graduate today what their job prospects look like. The wealthier will always need the poor to serve them; however, they do not need them to be paid high wages for jobs that AI/computers can now perform. Ask yourself, Why was AI just deregulated through Executive Order?
1-I heard the same thing when I was a kid. No jobs, and that was kind of true.
2-IRT de-regulating AI, there is no way to regulate it. Technology doesn’t work that way. And AI is more a term of art than anything else. It’s impossible to stop companies from creating self-driving cars. Or creating software to guide you through every question you might have.
3-But the more important question is, why would we want to minimize this opportunity. There was a good article in Men’s Health a few months back. If you go to your doctor, your diagnosis is limited to both your doctor’s knowledge, and your doctor’s available time, and sometimes, your doctor’s personal biases.
To your doctor, that persistent shoulder pain might be a sprain. Take an aspirin and come back in two weeks. AI, in minutes, might spit out twenty different possible causes, and some might sound a lot more relevant.
To a cardiologist that specializes in open-heart surgery, you’re a candidate for open-heart surgery. For someone that specializes in stent and roto-rootering, the solution looks a lot different. As a civilian, you might not know the difference, but you will certainly be better off knowing the opportunities.
And Joe, there are ways to regulate AI responsibly. You can make it so that small groups of people aren’t solely profiting immensely from it. You can regulate its impact on the environment. You can pass legislation to limit the scope of AI, meaning adding curtails so that super-intelligence is not wielded beyond our control. You can protect artists by requiring AI labels. You can protect the truth by requiring AI labels. There are so many regulations needed for something this impactful. This is not to slow down our capacity to innovate. It’s to protect us from ourselves and our government.
1-Most technological advances start off benefitting a very small group of people. It is a process of winnowing out the good from the bad. And the improved technology eventually benefits everyone.
2-As someone of the left side on environmental issues, a tax on electricity derived from FF would interest me. But inevitably, that would mean a move to nuclear, which generally enrages the Far Left (though not so much as it use to).
3-Protecting an artist’s image is fine. A warning that some content is AI-generated is meaningless. Everyone knows that the Death Star blowing up planets is not real.
4-Protecting the truth smacks of censorship. It will boil down to which party is in charge, since both parties will conveniently decide that their version of the truth is right.
Chicken, we stopped in November 1980.
I was born in 1979. I’d like a refund.
Chicken In Philly?
At what point did average Americans stop rooting for labor
==========================
I’ve never understood that POV. Are we always supposed to root for whoever has the least amount of money? Harper is worth at least $100M, and probably retire with about a quarter-billion.
It irks me when people refer to the plight of the poor athletes struggling to put dinner on the table. This isn’t some poor factory worker paying off a 30-year mortgage, wondering if they can do better than a state college for their kids.
Joe, we are not rooting for the “plight of the poor athletes” in professional sports (though there are some exceptions, such as in the NFL, where the average career is less than four years, and those players often leave with serious health issues). This conversation is a microcosm for supporting worker’s value in general, especially in relation to the owners. Unless you are a CEO or own the company, you are undervalued and underpaid. And for the record, a factory worker cannot even get a 30-year mortgage today. And a state college is nothing to be ashamed of, but no one making less than a combined income of $350,000 or less is paying for their children’s college.
Unless you are a CEO or own the company, you are undervalued and underpaid.
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Explain to me why, as an accountant, I am undervalued and underpaid? There are always plenty of job openings that I can apply for. Won’t I land a job that pays me the approximate value of my work?
Of course you’re underpaid relative to your output. If you were paid fair value for your work there wouldn’t be room for profit for the owner. You have to be paid less that your work is worth for the business to be successful.
You don’t have to be paid less to the extent that society currently accepts. Runaway capitalism has led to the complete dominance of a few large corporations, whose sole concerns are shareholder value, and the erasure of government regulation and worker protections.
But that doesn’t mean I am not getting fair value. The business owner has to get a premium for my work, or I won’t work at all.
Perhaps because you work in the financial sector, this discussion is less true for you than the vast majority of people. It’s also true that what you experience is not likely to be the experience of most others, right?
You’d have to be a complete idiot to think Harper’s getting traded. He’s the one guy on the team who’s untouchable. He will absolutely be here until the current playoff window is closed, and I suspect there’s a good chance he’ll stick and play out his whole contract.
And as an aside to those out there who think the Phillies’ playoff window is closing, you are also complete idiots.
Yeh here come Marlin and Nat, 4th place or bust
Theo – I’d love to know how much Marlins Man pays for his seats.
Last night had to cost him at least $25K.
You’d have to be a complete idiot to think Harper’s getting traded.
=====================
Thank you for simplifying this. Except for the fact that:
Harper is still very good,
Is a team leader,
Plays a position of need,
and has a relatively affordable contract,
And oh, has no-trade protection, then he’s easy to trade. He stays.
Jon Heyman keeping Boras guys in the news.
How about DFA’d then? =)
Lefty – Several people here demanded the Sox DFA Devers early this year.
Sadly, not kidding.
Harper did not hit much at all in the ’25 playoffs.
But, he was not the only one on the Phillies roster with that issue.
Glad that someone is bringing up these tough issues.
Maybe it will motivate Harper to have an MVP year in ’26.?!
That said, there is no way Harper will get another Phillies comtact extension until his contract is up and maybe not even then.
The Phillies have some very tough roster decisions.
They have some great young pitching.
The OF and 2B/3B could use younger upgrades.
The Phillies need more youth and speed to balance off whichever veterans are still there for 2026.
The bullpen needs 2-3 arms
Team needs some more clutch players who can hit in the playoffs.
Also, team needs more clutch power.
Dombrowski wil keep making adjustments to the Phillies roster until they get the right mix of players who are driven to win a World Series Title and then they go out and do it!
Phillies window of contention is “wide open”.
Philies have won 87, 90, 95, 96 the last 4 seasons.. The Phillies just need some roster adjustments and changes and some excellent years from their bveteran players.
Did I read that right that Bryce Harper hit only .200 with 3 hits and a run scored in the 2025 playoffs through 4 games.?!
The Phillies 2025 playoffs games showed limited offensive production from the Philadelphia Phillies’ bats, though he did hit a home run during the regular season and playoffs.
Batting Average: .200
Hits: 3
Runs Scored: 1
Games Played: 4
When your offense is so hot and cold and relies on power too much, then that is not a recipe for a successful championship season…
RHSP Painter, INF Aiden Miller and OF Justin Crawford should all have major starting roles on the 2026 Phillies.
the Phillies go into the offseason with $75 million to spend as long as they are willing to stay at the same level of payroll and Dombrowski has said they are.
They have an OF in Crawford and a SP in Painter coming that are sure to be penciled into their 2026 roster. Miller could step into that infield and Cabrera is almost certain to factor into the rotation at some point.
They have a SP and a DH that are free agents and are likely non-tendering their 3B and trading or DFAing Castellanos. A couple more that will go away on options.
Between prospects and that level of payroll I think they can fill those holes rather easily.
Phillies fans, welcome to DD’s 2019 Red Sox season. Unfortunately, he didnt win a WS for Phillies. But, the parallels (over threshhold, aging veterans, several prominent FAs, weak farm system) are undeniable.
Hopefully, the Phillies realize where theyre at on the curve and accept its time to rebuild.
Give Dombrowski a break!
He assembled a Championship caliber ballclub.
He cannot grab a bat and pinch hit for some of Phillies hitters who seem to either freeze and/or coast by the time they get to the playoffs.
Look at the Blue Jays!
Even the subs and guys who were in the minors most of the year came to hit in the playoffs and WS.
Stop crying Red Sox fan.
Dombrowski did what John Henry and his Partners hired hime to do: Won a World Series Championship in Bos and set a Red Sox record for team wins.
Flags fly forever.
Not good form to be crying about it when the Team got a Championship Flag , a World Series Tropy and Championship rings.
Some of you Red Sox fans are getting worse than Yankees fans feeling like you are entitled to win every year.
Baseball is very competitive.
The days of AL East Dynasty may be over.
You are right Dave. Harper is on the downslope of his career that the Phillies now get to overpay for. You bought a childish man and now get to deal with it. Nobody wants him for that price.
The Yankees could take Harper for 1B and move Rice to catcher. Would Phillies take Austin Wells and a few others. Wells could replace JT. I’m just thinking Harper could actually be cheaper than the next Bellinger contract.
Rice is not a catcher. Teams run on him constantly.
Shhhhh. Don’t tell Cashman that. He said Rice will be in the mix at catcher in 2026.
Fred – You might want to spend a minute looking stuff up instead of making wild assumptions.
At the time Bryce signed with Philly, Dave was in the process of giving a truly bad contract to Chris Sale … as Dave was in charge of the Red Sox when Harper signed with Philly.
Harper not getting traded. It’s where he wants to be, and he’s got a NTC.
But if somebody with his exact stats and contact situation were to come along, they actually could make a trade partner take an extension on with the right numbers.
A team could turn the 6/144 contract into, say, a 7/154 to lower AAV and have the team basically pay less on taxes than the extra 10 mil the player would guarantee themselves.
But.. with the CBA fight coming up, might be less of a sure thing you’ll save money this way.
Good because you weren’t getting Ben Rice anyways you crazy sons of a benches.
Anybody who watched Phillies baseball all season would have to agree with DD. Strikes out a lot on bad pitches. Fouls off good pitches or pulls them to the second baseman.
Harper will be a Phillie much longer than Dumbrowski.
“Harper will be..much longer than Dumbrowski”…
Are you referring to the same “Dumb”browski that took 4 different(or was it five)teams to a World Series appearance, winning at least two world championships in the process?
You mean the same “Dumb”browski that was already building championship level baseball teams when you were still dating and lusting after cheerleaders?
It was only 4, and he only won 1
I beg to differ; the ’97 Marlins and the Redsox, in I believe 2018, were both helmed by Dave Dombrowski.
“Only” 1 ? Do you even realize how difficult it is to even get to the World Series, let alone win one? It’s the same argument that people made for Dusty Baker as a manager before he won the WS at the end of his career. He was one of the greatest managers ever BEFORE he won that series. The World Series is just that…ONE SERIES. Any team can win a series, even that one. Getting there is much more difficult than winning it. Dombrowski will deservedly go into the Hall of Fame one day and still people like you will think they know better.
Add a few facts/baseball history lesson on Dombrowski’s baseball accomplishments:
Expos: Despite working with penny pinching owners in Montreal, Dombrowski built the Expos farm from great drafts and trades that became the powerhouse Expos team with the best record in baseball
Before the 1994 MLB strike, the Montreal Expos had the best record in baseball at 74 wins and 40 losses. (34 wins over 500!!!). This .649 winning percentage was the best in the league (with most of those players were from Dombrowski’s time in Montreal). That Expos team was considered favorites to make the World Series and maybe even win it in 1994.
Then, the baseball strike killed the season and the Expos in Montreal.
Meanwhile, Dombrowski had left a few years earlier to join jthe expansion Marlins and built their farm and roster in record time.
The Marlins entered MLB as an expansion team in 1993.
By 1997, Dombrowski built a team that started with absolutely no players at all into a World Series Championship team in record time(only 4 years later).
Then, Ownership in Miami wanted to sell the team and ordered a complete tear down of that championship ballclub.
Dombrowski followed orders of the guy who signed his checks, conducted the fire sale of the Marlins 1st championship team, rebuilt the farm and left for Detroit in 2001.
In 2003, those players Dombrowski acquired for the Marlins in the fire sale and drafts rebuilding their farm won their 2nd World Series Championship only 2 years after Dombrowski left the Marlins.
These are not coincidences. This shows a future Hall of Fame MLB Executive accomplishing things as a baseball executive that are very rare. The Marlins 2nd World Series Championship would not had happened without the players Dombrowski acquired in that ownership ordered Marlins fire sale and his shrewd MLB drafts also.
And, 4-5 years after Dombrowski joined a Tigers team that spent 10-15+ years struggling to stay out of last place, Dombrowski had another team, The Detroit Tigers, in the World Series in 2006. A classic moment during the beginning of the 2006 World Series telecast was when a random, ordinary, middle aged. long suffering Tigers fan (man) interrupted a Dombrowski interview by grabbing Dombrowski and kissing him on his cheak and saying “Thank you”.
And don’t forget the Phillies.
Most people, including Phillies fans and Phillies sports media, were openly saying that the Phillies rebuild was a failure and that the Phillies should just tear down the team and start a new rebuild like the White Sox( and turn the Phillies last rebuild into a 10 year rebuilt like the current White Sox rebuild.
Enter Dombrowski from stage left, and it lead to a new run of Phillies success: playoffs appearances. an NL Championship and World Series team and maybe even better baseball days ahead?!
In my opinion , even more important than the than Dombrowski’s World Series Championships in Miami and Boston, was his work in Montreal, Miami with a new expansion team,Detroit with a team that had not even been close to a World Series since 1984 and Philadelphia that came very close to accepting the Phillies rebuild as a failed rebuild and tearing the team down to the studs, again, like the current White Sox.
Any so called fans who are determined to trash future 1st ballot Hall of Fame MLB Executive Dave Dombrowski and his career are completely ignorant of Dombrowski’s major contribution to MLB and multile franchises and fan bases.
That was a couple of years after Dombrowski left for the expansion Marlins
Dombrowski won 2 World Series Championships that he is openly given credit for.
However, Dombrowski should also get credit for building World Series caliber teams in Montreal, the 2nd Marlins Championship team that won after he left for Detroit, The Tigers teams starting in 2006 when that franchise had not been even close to the WS since 1984.
And, the current Phillies team that won their last WS Championship in 2008…..
If Dombrowski retires, he will be in the HOF before Harper.
All this is child’s play compared to anything that happens with the Eagles. Harper wouldn’t last if he had to play for them.
This is what teams should do with superstar players, not trade them for peanuts.
Way to drop a bomb into your clubhouse, Dombrowski
That clubhouse needed it after the last two playoff runs. They have been choking since they blew a 3-0 game lead to the Diamondbacks in the NLCS. They need badasses not crybabies. Go get em Dave.
Harper did have a subpar year according to his standards. But why did Dombrowski feel the need to say this? I dont get it.
Harper is a bit of a goofball. He was wanting an extension when he was coming off a good year and had 8 years left on his deal. Who gets a contract extension with 8 years left?
Same. Why is he saying that. He has got to know it ends up here.
He wanted that new deal after manny who is basically his most compared to player got that new mega extension.
The difference is manny had a perfectly timed opt out that got him that extension. Harper on the other hand didn’t.
Sometimes I think Bruce is too intense. I hope he relaxes a bit next year and lets his talent do the work for him.
We know Dave, no one is taking that contract off of your hands
I think Harper has one more MVP in him. Mike Schmidt slipped off of his norms in 1985 (even moved off of third base for awhile), but he bounced back strong in 1986 to win his third MVP award. Harper has plenty left in the tank…
Is Harper a future HOFer? Why? What are his career numbers? They certainly don’t match up many other HOFers. He hasn’t won a WS championship yet. Not so sure.
Right now Harper is “Hall of Very Good”, not Hall of Fame. He needs 137 Home Runs to get to 500 and 1,199 hits to get to 3000, if he gets either or at least close then maybe he’s a HoF’er
He’s going to get in. He will get to 500 homers easy. He’s already at 54 WAR. He will get in.
He’s close to automatic at this point. He’d have to have a career-ending injury pretty quickly to not make it. He might get to 70 bWAR.
Guys with milestones like those and multiple MVPs are no doubt HoF. Likely first ballot if he hits 500 or 3000. Especially if he has any big postseason moments or takes home more hardware. Anyone debuting at 19 and gets a 13 year FA deal has probably had a HoF worthy career
Harper is at 54.1 WAR and a 4.9 WAR/162 which puts him in the HOF at just under average for players that were primarily RF in their careers. He needs to average 2.5 WAR over the rest of his contract to be at the career average for HOF RF. His peak/7 is a little low but includes 2020, so that would be taken into account. If that was a full season at the pace he was on it would have made his Peak/7 exactly average for HOF RF. He is at 1801 hits so reaching 3000 is probably out of reach. He has averaged about 130 hits per season. He would have to average 23 HR to reach 500. That might be doable.
If he retired today…probably not a HOFer. But people might vote for him anyway. But he is just 33 as well. He could have another 6-7 seasons in him. Even if he averaged just 125 hits and 20 homers (below his career averages) for those 7 years that would put him over 2700 hits and over 500 homers. That would definitely get him into the Hall. Especially for this era.
Yeah barring a steep fall off, Harper will be in the hall of fame.
IF he was available, which teams would be suitors?
That was a totally boneheaded and unnecessary thing to say about Bryce Harper.
That said, he wasn’t wrong. Harper would like to play in the 2028 Olympics, while acknowledging that he will be “old.” If he is old in 2028, what is he in 2026?
HAL 2000: Are we going to trade Harper, Dave?
Dave: no
HAL 2000: Are you sure, Dave?
Dave: Who are you, Jon Heyman?
I buy the idea that behind the scenes Boras has been hounding the Phillies for a new contract, and DD probably is fed up and just blurted that out to lash back.
Harper is a better fielding 1st baseman than Bohm, and there has definitely been more talk about non-tendering him or trading him than keeping him.
Trading Harper would be insane ! His contract might have been high a long time ago, but it’s basically just Q.O. level now. He’s the greatest bargain in baseball around. D.D ain’t going to let him go nowhere.
Thank you for the laugh, and dumbest statement in a while! Stick to Fortnights. You know zero about baseball
I thought MPrck’s comment was slightly off and then you follow up with a truly stupid comment. You just made him look really good.
Harper’s AAV is about $3 million over the QO price this season. While it was a top 3 contract when signed, it’s not in top 50 AAV now. He is definitely a bargain and he provided $7.5 million or about 30% of his AAV in surplus value in 2025.
Dombrowski knows that he’s the one that gave Bryce Harper a full no trade clause. So even if there was a chance to trade he’d have to get Harper’s approval in the first place. Which he would reject. News must be at a sloths speed today.
Harper would have 10/5 rights regardless of any no trade clause.
@Logjammer: Wasn’t Matt Klentak the Phillies GM who signed Harper in 2019? Dombrowski was hired as POBO in December 2020 after Klentak’s departure.
That was a total shot in the dark. I have no idea. The point is Wether it’s the GM or PoBO they should know if a player has specific clauses in his contract
@BPG86
That part too.
KLentak was still the GM, although the Bryce deal was mostly a Middleton decision, including flying out to Vegas to personally finalize the deal. Klentak was along for the ride on that one.
Wasn’t Matt Klentak the Phillies GM who signed Harper in 2019?
=============================
Klentak (maybe MacPhail) were responsible for”
Harper
Realmuto
Stott
Bohm
Sanchez
Saurez
Wheeler
Nola
I remember Andy MacFail running the Cubs with Jim Hendry. The only 2 worst FO members for that Cubs that might be worse than Jed Hoyer and Carter Hawkins. At the same time, they had more spending restrictions than Jed and Carter. The Chicago Tribune were more stubborn and stingy than the Ricketts Family with their money.
Also Jed has made some decent trades and signings since taking over for Theo.
Jim Hendry and Andrew MacFail gave Cub fans Milton Bradley, Jeremy Burnitz, and Kevin Gregg
you’re a troll
Easily top three most overrated players in the game. Over paid, over hyped. Under performing. Who would want him for 8 more years?
Over his career Harper is a top 10 player.
fangraphs.com/leaders/major-league?pos=all&st…
The AAV on his contract is not in the top 50 and half of Juan Soto’s AAV.
legacy.baseballprospectus.com/compensation/cots/le…
He has 6 more years on his contract.
legacy.baseballprospectus.com/compensation/cots/na…
You call out other people and then get everything wrong.
Trade him……he has been MAD since Commissioner Manfred visited the Phillies Dugout
Harper needs thicker skin if he’s going to bothered by trade speculation, especially trade speculation created by his agent’s media mouthpieces. Harper holds all the cards so it doesn’t matter who says what
It’s almost like he played the cards
Just weird to be saying anything of this sort.
Also, Harper missed 30 games and still had 27HR/75RBI with an OPS+ of 129and a WRC+ of 133. Dude was very, very good.
But it’s still a step down from previous seasons, and if you showed me those raw numbers I’d say yeah that’s a great player, but it’s not a superstar.
I think it’s completely reasonable for Harper to be upset with the comments, but they’re technically correct. I would expect DD to smooth things over, because the comments didn’t seem malicious.
DD’s comments felt like he was challenging Harper. Basically saying he was very good and he wants him to be elite. Harper maybe unhappy about the comments but will that motivate him to be even better next season, time will tell.
SD says no to that trade. Manny is one of the key faces of the franchise, he is their all time leader in HRs.
Cronenworth has played exactly 1 inning ta 3b in the majors, and that was in 2020. I have no idea if there is a reason for that. I guess Bogaerts could be moved to 3b, but he probably would hate moving position again.
Executives sometimes act like it’s so hard to call up their own player and say, “hey, my words got away from me a little. You’ve nothing to worry about, and I’m sorry it became a thing.”
What Dombrowski said was accurate. Saying it about a cornerstone player, a Gold Glove finalist, who sells a zillion jerseys, and had Alec Freaking Bohm and Aging JT Realmuto behind him — was unnecessary and dumb. Shouldn’t have said that.
Who does Dave think he is, George Steinbrenner? He shouldn’t be talking to the media if he’s going to passive aggressively insult his own guys.
I woul trade for Harper to play LF for Atlanta in a heartbeat.
No thanks bham. Don’t need him. He’s a big baby anyway.
If Harper is upset that is good. He seems to play better angry. Or at least hit better.
There is no way he is being traded. Clown question bro.
If Harper can play OF, he should be playing out there again. He is not a good first baseman and frequently has little misplays or mental errors there. Keith Hernandez always mentions it whenever it happens against the Mets. It diminishes his value.
They don’t want him
Shaking my head to call your player out publicly and say ah well we are not trading. What a idiot move Dombi!
Hey, Yankees fan – we’ll have him!
How is it AN idiot move?
An idiot move is saying publicly he’s not the player he once was and then publicly saying we are not trading him. Way to drive his price up Dave! Lol
In what way was that an idiot move? They are not trading him, so why would it matter to Dombrowski if his trade value was affected? Harper is a Phillie for the rest of his career, so his comments won’t have an effect on that.
Can someone explain to me what Dombrowski said that is wrong?
At the plate in 2025 Harper was 16% below his career average and 21% below last seasons OPS+ and wRC+. His WAR was over a point lower than his 4.3 WAR career averages in full seasons from 2012-2024. In 2020 he had a 1.9 WAR which had him on pace for a 4.9 WAR.
His season was less than his elite seasons in the past. That much is true. No denying that. Harper was still very good. 3.2 WAR is far above MLB average of 2.0 WAR and exactly double the MLB average of 1.6 WAR for players with 500 PA while playing 1B.
Also true is what Dombrowski said about Harper not being traded. He is not going anywhere and will go into the HOF with a Phillies cap on his plaque.
So why the fake indignation from the NY Post “writers”?
From all I’ve read, Dombrowski was addressing the media and was honest about Harper. It wasn’t an indictment of him. Harper seemed pissed about the media but somehow the writers (even from The Athletics) took his words out of context to appear like he’s hitting back on DD.
Some of us here have talked about The Athletics turning into TMZ Sports unfortunately.
Harper has since commented that he was not upset with Dombrowski, he was upset with the media. Any follow up here about that?
The A’s will be moving to Vegas soon, Harper is from Vegas. Let’s make this happen. What would the Phillies want?
I’m obviously a Braves fan and used to hate Harper, but after he and Freeman reached out to a Phillies kid fan when he dropped a ball in the stands and hooked him up up with gear, it changed my perception of him. Harper reps Philly so hard and is not far removed from a MVP award. He was injured and still put up numbers. Dombrowski pooped the bed on this one. Harper is the no doubt Captain of the Phillies and deserves more respect than this.
Such a Prima Donna, both on and off the field.
Incorrect. Guy has matured into a family man.
On one hand a HOF GM. On the other a rando internet board denizen. Yeah, I think I am going with Dombrowski. Especially since he was 100% on the money.
“Dave is almost 70 so this kind of behavior should be expected.” This ageism bigoted garbage and you’re whining about “how horrible” his “previous comments are”? “No offense.”
Sometimes, that is what it takes some of those old, tough guys to not baby the players too much and make them wake up and smell the coffee if they want to be Champions:
Examples: Trader Jack McKeon comes out of retirement and wins a
the Marlins 2nd World Series title at 71.
Bruce Bochy wins the Rangers their 1st Championship @ age 68.
He has 2 rings and built a Phillies team that has been in the playoffs 4 years in a row including an appearance in the WS. You have to be a couple cards short of a deck to think he is anything other than one of the greatest GM’s in the game. Offense intended just like yours was.
Never say never in sports unless your Mr.Jordan #23.
1) Bryce Harper is one of the best players in his generation. He is a very hard worker, very competitive, and backed by a very good advisor(s).
2) Unfortunately, much of MLB has figured him out as a hitter, and learned how to pitch to his weaknesses. His frequent frustrations have helped his opponents in this regard because, when frustrated, Harper will swing at bad pitches. He is still a better than average hitter, but not the same as he was a few years ago. He is also still one of the game’s premier clutch hitters.
3) He has become a very good defensive first baseman which is one of the reasons he will never play the outfield again, despite media conjecture and his own offer to return to the outfield if the Phils acquired Pete Alonso. If the Phils did acquire Alonso, either he or Harper would become the team’s DH.
4) A younger Harper made promises when he came to Philly – the promises to win championships and to recruit his friends to play with the Phils. The Phils have still not won any championships during the Harper years, and other than his reported attempts to recruit Trea Turner, he has not brought over enough talented friends to win a championship. Now that he is older, Harper doesn’t make as many promises publicly.
5) A lot is said by Phillies front office people, a lot is carried away from the front office and shared with eager ears, and a lot is published to the dismay of the people who unwittingly started rumors and fomented dissension. Dave Dombrowski is a talented baseball executive, but he makes mistakes, he takes chances that don’t always work to his favor, and he says things that are often repeated without his knowledge or consent, and more often, are taken out of context. He apparently said Harper did not have an elite year in 2025. He was right – Harper had nowhere near an elite year in 2025. However, his simple statement of fact has been taken out of context and morphed into his plans to trade Harper. Dombrowski is painfully aware of the elements in Harper’s contract, including the codicile that grants Harper the ability to refuse any potential trade without his full consent. So, it’s unlikely Dombrowski ever seriously suggested to anyone that he was planning to trade Harper, without first discussing the matter with Harper.
6) I see different sides to Bryce Harper and detect different motivations that don’t always coincide. I have also studied the hiring and trading habits of the Philadelphia Phillies, and see a team that will only go so far to acquire or keep a player. That’s why I don’t see the Phils matching the offer sheets Schwarber and Suarez are offered in the next few months, and I don’t see the Phils playing games with Harper or Scott Boras and rewriting Harper’s current lucrative contract just so Harper could go to bed at night with the comfort of knowing he will retire in a Phillies uniform. Here’s where Harper’s different motivations come into play. If Harper fails to deliver a championship to Philly within the next few years, I firmly believe he will change course and try to use his remaining playing time to jumpstart Las Vegas’ new franchise – the Athletics – and hopefully do in Vegas what he has been unable to do in DC or Philly – win a world series. Vegas is Harper’s hometown, and I’m sure Harper sees the potential to remain a part of the Vegas franchise in some capacity after his playing days are over. So, the Phils management – in those secret places where the media is never invited – may be planning to trade Harper, but that won’t happen until Harper says its time. And if Harper has another season like 2025 where his level of play is not elite, and where he fails to win the world series, and where the Las Vegas Athletics are about to start playing in their new stadium, Harper may say the time has finally arrived and is sooner than most people ever realized.
I remember when Harper said that stuff about getting other guys to come to Philly, etc.
It kinda reminds me of how the Rock talks about his film projects and franchises he’s a part of, but not the true lead actor in, with plural terms, saying ‘we are working on the script/we are going to do this and that/we etc.’ and the reality is he is a hired actor who only has so much box office clout and only so much pull with other actors, directors, etc. and he often is not the difference maker in a project working or being profitable and its arguable he’s actually a detriment to box office on many of his projects- his high profile and celebrity and self-promotion far outweigh his actual value.
I am mentioning all of that because that’s Bryce Harper to a T as a player and as a Franchise Face for Philly.
If anybody could bring other guys to Philly, I think it’d be Kyle Schwarber, who does not make these kinds of declarative “I’m the mayor of this thing” style statements and simply produces consistently.
If Bryce Harper is Dwayen The Rock Johnson of Baseball, then Kyle Schwarber is currently the Mark Wahlberg of baseball- relatively budget friendly and consistent and actually could get all kinds of people to come on board projects aka if Schwarber re-signs with Philly I could see someone of a strong calibre signing with them in his wake.
I thought I posted but I didn’t. This is probably the root cause of the frustration. Boras doesn’t have the prime free agents this year like Tucker and Schwarber .. Casey Close does. So all this media frenzy may be rooted in the typical Boras campaign to inflate and to amplify the value of his stable in extension talks over his competitors. If anyone thinks Philly is crumbling it puts Dombrowski on his heels and he’ll have to pay to hush Harper up. They can’t want Philly to pay anyone more than Harper on Boras’ watch. He wants them to sign Suarez so he’d be happy to see them launch Schwarber and re-sign Harper to an adjustment. But to be honest with all this drama I’m not sure camp Schwarber may be content to say see ya. John Boy Walton would rather call it a night in Boston with that drama than play second fiddle as Harper’s back bat in the 4 hole.
bk, Schwarber would do well to move to Boston. They’ll beat any offer the Phils make. Also, Schwarber is popular in Boston, and he seems to see the ball very well at Fenway Park. He’ll need those advantages going forward. If he stayed in Philly hoping for the chance to finally win a world series, he’d most likely outstay his welcome, and still not win a championship.
Going to HOF with no ring book it
Troutish
gambler, I’ve posted here on several occasions, dating back a few years, that the Phils would never win a world series with Thomson managing or Schwarber as the full time DH. I also posted Harper would probably never win a world series, but still make it to the Hall of Fame. Just a few hunches.
So beyond how anyone feels about Bryce as a player (he’ll be a potential HoF’er by the end of his career in my book”) or Dave Dombrowski as a president of baseball operations, this situation in the media should not actually be a thing. Dombrowski publicly ruminated whether one of his players would be capable of what he had been in the past. Its one thing for fans to wonder and ponder those things but when the head of your franchise does that out in the open? Like what do you feel other than betrayal? Do those disparaging comments amount to something positive? Not in my opinion, Stop making off the cuff comments to folks that could hurt your team and make an effort to improve said team. In your 5 years with the Phils you’ve made 4 playoff appearances and won a pennant. What do you gain from slighting your players with such comments?
The Phillie clubhouse has become a little to comfortable.
Guys who hit during the season are not producing in the clutch in the playoffs and World Series.
That team needs a few hustle guys who light a fire under some of their verteran guys.
Not seeting Harper, Trey Turner and a few others lifting up them team, leading by example and taking the team to the next level as they were signed to do.
fan, Well said. The Phils clubhouse has been too comfortable for too long. The Phils need fewer generals and more foot soldiers who can grind out wins in the trenches.
Harper is such a little girl!
Yoshinobu Yamamoto learned an important lesson during the 2025 regular season: don’t give the ball to Dave Roberts!
Does Theo have files?
I agree. At 32 years old Harper should be putting up way better numbers in that ballpark then he is. 75 rbi ? Dude need to have at least 30/100 every season and more. What a joker player.
Do you seriously still think that RBI measures individual production? Here’s your sign.
You’re the batter with runners in scoring position hitting 2nd, 3rd, cleanup – whatever. The bat is in your hands. The individual. Harper does not drive guys in. He Walks. Should have more per season.
Ok. You are serious. Here’s your sign.
Or as my mother would say, well bless your heart.
Picking a random RBI opportunity, Harper drives in 273 RISP per 600 ABs for his career, while the MLB average last year was 225.
Assuming you agree that 273 is higher than 225, then you’re wrong.
W/RISP – .290/.433/.516/.949 He not only hits, he hits for power. He hits 11% better than with no one on base.
Over his career Harper has been the 5th best hitter in baseball with RISP by measure of wRC+. By OPS he is 3rd. By SLG% he is 8th. When men are in scoring position Harper is an elite hitter. fangraphs.com/leaders/major-league?pos=all&st…
Not sure what the heck you are talking about. All the stats say you are wrong.
Bryce Harper has one of the most roller coaster careers ever- Sub-2 WAR seasons, multiple MVP seasons… he’s the offensive version of Blake Snell.
That aside, that contract of his was a major bargain even when he signed it not all that long ago in 2019, even though it was “the largest guarantee in baseball history” it was over too many years for that to really matter and it was spread so evenly that it’s not like it was a cheaper front half and then back loaded to be more comparable to modern contracts (like combining 6 years/$141M and 7 years/$231M or something).
If I recall correctly, Harper was the leading proponent of that deal, even moreso than the Phillies- he thought he was playing some kind of 4-D Baseball Chess
In the grand scheme of things, no matter how you look at it, that was a dumb deal on Harper’s part and sheer brilliance on the part of the Phillies.
That deal was kind of the “record breaking” equivalent of that horrible Scottie Pippen deal where he signed for 7 years/$18M and *the team owner* told him it was a bad deal and that it was a token opening offer that he was supposed to counter with like 7 years/$38.5M and then they’d meet in the middle at like 7 years/$30.1M, etc.
In the same vein, Harper’s deal probably should’ve been 13 years/$403M to account for the modern standard AAV’s and near-future AAV’s, even 7 years ago.
All *that* said- again- if the Phillies are disappointed in Harper’s overall performance/contributions, I don’t understand what they were expecting… He’s basically played up to his typical performances and if he hasn’t had the kind of line up protection that puts guys on base to produce more runs when he does get hits and home runs, that’s on the Phillies, not on Harper, unless he’s actually a negative value situational / men on base hitter and I am not aware of this?
This is just adding fuel to the fire that seemed to start this year in Philly. Always seemed they had a great if not exceptional clubhouse until this year. This is why things need to be shaken up, but not with Harper nor because of him.
I don’t think there was anything wrong with Dombrowski’s initial comments, I think he’s right that they got misconstrued. But if he feels the need to clear them up, why do that on a podcast without contacting the player? I don’t see what either of them gain by communicating through the media.
The Phillies would never do that. If people are complaining about Harper’s production for his contract take one look at manny’s contract.
Manny is going no where. The extension he signed cemented that.
Dombrowski has some damage control to do after throwing Harper under the bus
Dombrowski probably won’t be getting a Christmas card from Harper this year
Thanks, Dave. Dysfunction is not what we ordered.
I said yesterday that anybody who thinks the Phillies window is closing is an idiot, but this is the one thing that could do it.
Nobody outside of LA will ever win NL MVP for awhile. He should still get a few votes every season as long as he plays over 120 games and avoids having his first 200 strikeout season since that number is only a good number when a player is a pitcher.
Bryce is the most thin-skinned whittle baby in MLB.
So dramatic hahaha. He was in trade discussions ONE time while in dc – 2018 with 3 months left on his contract since that Nats team was not making the WC that season. Every other year he was in town we were in contention- 0 times was his name in trade talks.
Marcus Semien for Bryce Harper.
Poor Bryce. He was nice enough to offer a 7-year extension on top of the 8 years he had remaining.
Dombroski did a great job of trying to light a fire under a guy who might’ve needed a little tap on the butt. And then the fans just went insane with trade scenarios. He’s not getting traded. He still had a pretty good year last year when you look at .267/27. He needs to be more consistent, but the fans of this city are insane.
I’d like a nothing burger with nothing on it and without the bun.
Dombrowski is dropping the ball with all these runbacks and blaming players he didn’t sign. There’s some real quality players available in free agency. And we’ll have practically the same team with same manager with the same lineup order next year. And they’ll get eliminated in 1st round again regardless of who they play. They wouldn’t have hit Peralta, misiorowski or priester no more than they hit the dodgers. Or the mets the year before. When your head of baseball operations puts together a lineup of hitters that mainly thrives on mistakes and doesn’t hit home runs(except schwarber), you have a recipe for annual failure. Their unwillingness to move Harper back to the outfield affects their ability to be bold in the off-season. And having a manager who insanely bats marsh 5th and bohm 4th with a combined 22 home runs, it’s no wonder Harper isn’t elite. Pitchers aren’t afraid of what’s behind him. He sees no good pitches
marge, It should become apparent already that the Phils have not been able to hit good pitching for the past few seasons. Sure, they beat up on weak, inexperienced pitching and talk loud in the post-game interviews, but that’s all they do. When the game is on the line, the Phils’ stars don’t usually show up – that includes Schwarber. This past season only 4 major league players stranded more runners on base than Schwarber did. You can’t win games if you can’t score runs, and you can’t score runs if you can’t hit good pitching.
Against the playoff teams, Philly was .608 this year. That’s outstanding. Y’all trying to find reasons to explain why one team lost a 2-run game, a 1-run game, and an extra innings game.
Philly outplayed LA over the four games, but variance was not on their side.
brady, Regular Season Games and Playoff Games are entirely different, especially when a team like the Dodgers plays the Phillies during the Regular Season with more than a dozen players on the IL. Regardless if a team wins by 1, 2, or 12 runs, a win is a win. A low-scoring game may not be as close as it looks, and a blowout may be closer than the score suggests.
I’m not sure how that relates to my statistics. The Phillies hit well enough in the regular season to post an excellent winning % against good teams.
And, FWIW, LAD started Glasnow, YY, Snell and Ohtani. That’s an AS rotation. Divining a universal truth from a 4-game series is useless.
brady, How it relates to your statistics is that winning games in the regular season and playoffs are two entirely different phenomena. Not too many years ago, the Cardinals posted a losing record in the regular season, but won the world series. They were the world champs, and nothing they did during the regular season mattered. If you feel strongly about the injustice of teams with better regular season records being eliminated early in the playoffs, maybe its time you realized that the teams that win it all in the playoffs are teams that are healthy and are coming into the playoffs with momentum. Also, if you feel, by virtue of winning their season series, the Phillies were a better team in 2025 than the Dodgers, you should take a deep breath, take a few steps back, and revisit your understanding of why the Dodgers are currently in the world series and the Phillies are not.
As I’ve already mentioned, the LAD are in the WS because they went 2-0 in one-run games. If the Phillies went 2-0, they’d be in the WS. If they went 1-1, we’d have have seen a game 5.
This is 100% now about getting some “keep the peace” money out of the Phillies.
The only notion of Trade Bryce is… Dombrowski let’s Schwarber, Ranger, and JT go, he doesn’t replace them with adequate level players, and at that point you would be like “might as well trade Bryce at this point” bc that team would have no chance to win.
Obviously. He has a full NTC which he has expressed on multiple occasions he is not waiving. He also had 10-and-5 rights.
Either way this is the stuff we will be going through with Bryce and the team brass til the end of the decade. The Phil’s are gonna scuffle and next year will be the realization for fans that the window has slammed shut. Won’t be fun sliding into mediocrity and next season will be boisterous…not in a good way.
Time to pay the piper…