Any time a season ends in disappointment, trade rumors pop up.
The Philadelphia Phillies, and even their biggest star Bryce Harper, are no exception.
But president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski made something very clear in his end-of-season press conference with local reporters: Harper isn’t going anywhere.
“Bryce Harper’s not getting traded,” Dombrowski said in follow-up comments to the New York Post. “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.”
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The two-time MVP Harper is coming off a season in which he hit .261 with a .487 slugging percentage and 27 home runs. He was a top-25 hitter in baseball by Weight Runs Created Plus.
“I’ve been reading that, ’Oh, the Phillies may trade Bryce Harper,'” Dombrowski said. “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.”
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Harper turned 33 earlier in October.
He’s still in the midst of his 13 year, $330 million contract with the Phillies.
That’d be a tough contract to move even if Philadelphia wanted to, but Dombrowski wants nothing of the sort.
The Phillies might have to make some changes, and Kyle Schwarber could leave in free agency, but it doesn’t seem like Harper will be a part of any changes. He’s set to be in the Phillies lineup on 2026 Opening Day.
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