Phillies president Dave Dombrowski says team isn’t trading Bryce harper this off-season. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
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Chill, Phillies fans, you can chill.
Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski discussed the wild rumor that has haunted Phils fans the past few days — that the team may actually trade superstar Bryce Harper this winter. “That couldn’t be further from the truth,” Dombrowski said on the Foul Territory podcast that dropped Thursday. “We love him. He’s a very important part of our team.”
The rumor started one week ago after Dombrowski made stunning comments during his annual season-end press conference that Harper may no longer be an elite player. Harper’s final 2025 stat-line showed a downturn in several categories. His .844 OPS was his lowest since 2016 and his .261 average was his worst since 2019. He also only hit 27 home runs, but it was clear that a wrist injury sapped his production for a stretch. “I guess we only find out if (Harper) becomes elite or if he continues to be good,” he said at the press conference.
Dombrowski’s comments whipped around Philly sports-talk radio and social media, inciting unhinged speculation that Dombrowski is trying to trade Harper, who has six years remaining on his 13-year, $330 million deal. (Click here if you want to see a photo that gave Phillie fans an unhealthy level of stress.)
“This thing’s got a life of its own,” Dombrowski said of the rumor. “It’s a shame where this has gone.”
But it wasn’t all Dombrowski’s fault. MLB insider Joel Sherman added fuel to the trade-Harper inferno on Tuesday when he said on Pinstripe Post he wouldn’t be shocked if Dombrowski traded Harper this off-season.
Harper’s agent Scott Boras even tried to quell the gossip. “I don’t think Dave (Dombrowski) or (Phillies majority owner) John (Middleton) or anybody is contemplating Bryce Harper not being a Philadelphia Phillie for the rest of his career,” Boras said earlier this week in an exclusive piece by sports writer Christian Red.
On Thursday, Dombrowski also clarified his comments that Harper may no longer be an elite player. “I said he had a very good year, I don’t think he had an elite year,” he said. “It wasn’t meant to be a criticism… To me, Bryce Harper is one of the best players in the game of baseball.”
Foul Territory cohost A. J. Pierzynski then asked Dombrowski if he’d consider giving Harper a contract extension, which Harper and Boras have lobbied for in the past.
Dombrowski grinned and said, “Fortunately, he’s already got a long contract.”