Dave Dombrowski's attempt to drown out the noise involving Bryce Harper and his future with the Philadelphia Phillies didn't exactly go well. It went so poorly, in fact, that Harper spoke to Matt Gelb of The Athletic ($) and made it clear how he felt.
“I have given my all to Philly from the start,” Harper told The Athletic on Saturday. “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 is hurt that Dombrowski, of all people, the executive who signed him to a massive 13-year, $330 million deal, would question his ability as a player both now and in the future. To be honest, it's hard to blame him for being hurt, and it's all Dombrowski's fault.
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Dave Dombrowski insulted Bryce Harper for absolutely no reason
After another wildly disappointing season for the Phillies, Dombrowski spoke to the media, and let's just say he was more honest than most would be about the team's franchise player. Dombrowski made it abundantly clear that Harper did not have his best year and that, being 33 years old, he was unsure whether Harper would be able to return to elite status again. Here are Dombrowski's original quotes:
“Of course, he’s still a quality player,” Dombrowski said Oct. 16. “He’s still an All-Star caliber player. He didn’t have an elite season like he has had in the past. And I guess we only find out if he becomes elite or if he continues to be good... So 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 elite, right? You’re thinking 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 have no idea. I’ve seen guys at his age — again he’s not old — that level off. Or I’ve seen guys rise again. We’ll see what happens.”
To be clear, Dombrowski is right here. Harper did not have a Harper-esque year. An .844 OPS is nothing to scoff at, but it was Harper's lowest mark since 2016. Harper has MVP-caliber standards, and he did not have an MVP-caliber year. He was really good, but a tier below elite. I do also think that, considering his age and recent injury history, it's fair to question whether Harper will ever be in an MVP discussion again.
With that being said, while I, as a neutral observer, can appreciate Dombrowski's honesty, what does he have to gain from making this thought public? Shouldn't he have known this would irritate Harper, who has done everything he possibly can to lead this franchise ever since he signed with them? Whether it's playing through injuries, switching positions or wearing interesting Phillie Phanatic gear, he's been everything Phillies fans could've wanted as their franchise player.
Dombrowski's public remarks were uncalled for, and if I were in Harper's position, I'd be upset too.
Dave Dombrowski's backtracking fooled nobody
To make this situation even worse, Dombrowski appeared on the Foul Territory podcast soon after his initial public remarks, and attempted to backtrack a little.
“This thing’s got a life of its own,” Dombrowski said during an appearance this week. “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.”
There are a couple of things to unpack here. First, why does he think Harper trade rumors took off to begin with? If the president of baseball operations is going to openly criticize a player and wonder if he'll ever return to elite status, why would anyone think a trade is an impossibility?
Second, Dombrowski's initial remarks were different than what he said on the podcast. He did not initially say "he's had better years," and he didn't say "he's a great player"; he questioned whether he'd be elite again. There's a difference. One is assuming 2024 was a down year and that Harper will return to elite status in 2025 (which is entirely possible, since Harper wasn't fully healthy). The other is that Harper had a down year in 2024 and will only continue to decline, or at least not get back to what he once was.
Clearly, Harper's opinion on the matter wasn't changed at all. He heard what Dombrowski really felt, and it's hard to blame him for feeling betrayed to an extent. All Phillies fans can hope is that these comments didn't damage the once fruitful relationship between Harper and the Phillies.