Bryce Harper hurt by Dave Dombrowski’s comments (and rumors)

Recently, Dave Dombrowski sought to motivate Bryce Harper. And his way of doing things was to publicly plant him.

In front of the cameras, he questioned whether Harper had what it took to become an elite player again. It was a strange decision from a manager with a lot of experience.

So is Philly in trouble? Yes, a little.

The main man chatted to The Athletic's Matt Gelb about the subject at hand and his boss's comments. And Bryce Harper wasn't afraid to say he felt hurt by his president of baseball operations' comments.

Bryce Harper has some thoughts on his mind: https://t.co/A77F7sEwHN

– Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) October 25, 2025

But that doesn't seem to be the biggest problem in all of this, in his eyes.

In fact, DD's comments have opened the door to speculation about Bryce Harper's future in Philadelphia. A lot of people are wondering if he'll be traded.

I didn't see Dave Dombrowski's comments as opening the door to trading one of the most polarizing players in Major League Baseball over the past 15 years.

And for what it's worth, Dombrowski denied the rumors publicly.

“I've been reading that the Phillies may trade Bryce Harper. That couldn't be further from the truth.”

Dave Dombrowski says Bryce Harper is an elite talent, and his comments weren't meant to be criticism. pic.twitter.com/HMJY6TjPsv

– Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) October 23, 2025

Harper says he's under contract until 2031 and refused to take out options in his contract to demonstrate his loyalty to the people of Philly.

He doesn't want to leave.

When he was in Washington, he was the victim of trade rumors. He refused outright options (much to Scott Boras' chagrin) to put the rumors behind him. So seeing them this fall makes him uncomfortable.

Harper can't be happy right now. How will he respond in 2026?

This content was created with the help of AI.