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Reports came out late Friday that the Cubs had signed right-hander Shelby Miller to a two-year deal.

Sunday, the team officially announced the deal, which includes a team option for 2028. To make room for Miller on the 40-man roster, the Cubs designated infielder Ben Cowles for assignment. (Which begs the question, why did they add Cowles to the 40-man in the first place? He’ll likely clear waivers and remain in spring camp.)

Miller’s not expected to pitch this year as he recovers from his second Tommy John surgery, so this is a “let’s have a reliever in hand for 2027” move. The team does not announce contract terms, but it has been reported that this deal is for $2.5 million, so it’ll likely cost $1.25 million to the Cubs’ CBT level for 2026.

The Cubs now have two players — Miller and left-hander Justin Steele — who can be placed on the 60-day injured list at the time the team needs a 40-man roster spot. That likely won’t be until closer to Opening Day, when they might need a spot or two for one or more of the non-roster guys in camp. Notably, that includes Dylan Carlson, who has a reasonable chance of making the Opening Day roster as a backup outfielder.

The first Cubs full-squad workout is tomorrow (Monday) and the Spring Training opener is this Friday, Feb. 20 at Sloan Park against the White Sox at 2:05 p.m. CT.

Hearts manager Derek McInnes: "Obviously disappointed because we came here to get a positive result. Regardless of how the game plays out, we still feel there's so much optimism for the season ahead.

"We showed good courage in the game. Our biggest downfall was losing three goals out the four when we had possession of the ball in their half.

"When we were set and in our shape, Rangers didn't cause us too many problems. Where we were susceptible and looked like losing goals was exactly when we had good possession of the ball and we had too many bodies forward.

"The crowd helped the Rangers team. The longer we stay in front then that becomes more difficult and challenging for the Rangers player. We didn't allow that. We allowed the crowd to get behind the team.

"Rangers have spent £40m-50m in two windows trying to put this squad together so there's no shame for us losing this game, there's just disappointment that we put so much into it.

"Credit to Rangers, they've won a big game. I still think there's a big fight ahead of us for us all. We're not too despondent because I see enough courage, I see enough in the performance and I still feel with the fixtures we've got between now and the split, particularly so many at home, that we can win games that can keep the whole thing moving along for us.

"These lads give everything for the shirt. We're not going to go along away quietly. We're top of the league. It takes a lot of good things for a team to be here where we are in the league and hopefully there's a bit more in it. I do think there'll be a lot of twists and turns yet. We've just got to manage our performances now and try and make some hay."

That Atlanta Braves have taken another blow to their potential starting rotation with news this afternoon that starting pitcher Hurston Waldrep had an MRI after experiencing discomfort in his elbow while throwing batting practice. The MRI showed “loose bodies” but no ligament damage.

Braves manager Walt Weiss met with the media and gave some additional details on Waldrep’s status. Weiss said Waldrep will be meeting with doctors on Monday. The assumption is that some type of procedure will be needed.

Waldrep had a strong showing after joining Atlanta’s starting rotation in August 2025. Because he had options available, and other starting pitching options like Bryce Elder, Grant Holmes and Joey Wentz do not, it would have been possible Waldrep would have started the season at Triple-A to preserve the organization’s roster flexibility even if he would have otherwise been part of the Opening Day rotation.

Now is seems likely Waldrep will not be an option for the Opening Day rotation regardless.

Many of the Tigers position players have already been in camp since Wednesday, but Sunday marks the first official full squad workout where everyone has reported. Now baseball is really back. The Tigers beat writers on hand picked up some interesting notes over the past two days, so let’s run through a few things.

A.J. Hinch mentioned on Sunday that Colt Keith will be focused on third base, while getting some reps at first base as well. The Tigers had him prepping for first base last year with Spencer Torkelson still not fully established as the everyday first baseman. Looks like they’re keeping a few left-handed hitters involved at the position anyway just in case. Hinch mentioned that they don’t expect Keith to play second base at all except in a pinch.

Meanwhile, former prospect Jace Jung, who has stalled out the past two seasons in a few looks at the major leagues, is also preparing to play first base. Of course, he’ll have to finally start hitting. Jung did make some swing adjustments, lowering his hands and trying to be shorter and quicker to the baseball. He came out of the All-Star break hot, cooled in August, but finished September with a 1.162 OPS and three home runs for the month in 14 games. Still only 25 years old, Jung’s story may not be written just yet, but Triple-A pitching does tend to get pretty thin down the stretch as well. He needs to do something big this season.

Hinch addresses the full squad

As always, the first full gathering of everyone in major league camp is an opportunity for manager A.J. Hinch to set the tone for the season. The only player not in attendance was Justin Verlander, who got a week of work in with the club before bowing out for a few days for a family commitment. Hinch expressed his enthusiasm for the club, but as always cautioned everyone that what they’ve done before is now in the past, and they have to lean back into the day-to-day grind to get better. He’s made a consistent habit of emphazing the need to stacking success bit by bit over the course of a the long season to reach their goals, and the message didn’t change on Sunday.

Riley Greene focused on his approach

Riley Greene spoke to reporters on Saturday, talking about his monster first half of the 2025 season and the deep slump that followed him down the stretch and into the playoffs. His take on it was that he’s was swinging the bat so well and running so hot that he started feeling like he could crush anything near the zone. That was true for a while, but once pitchers started staying away from him, recognizing that he was swinging a ton, Greene’s confidence got the best of him as his plate disicpline fell apart. His take on this, which is also A.J. Hinch’s take, is that he just needs to take a breath and be more conscious of situations, recognizing when a single will do and when pitchers are just going to stay out of the zone against him out of concern for his power.

The key quote from Cody Stavenhagen’s piece on Greene for The Athletic Detroit sums it up. “If you have two strikes and a runner on second base, maybe try not to hit a ball 5,000 feet.”

This checks out to me. Greene is one of the game’s more dangerous hitters, ranking 25th in wRC+ across 2024-2025. Excessive tinkering may screw up everything that turned him into that hitter. Modest adjustments to his approach and better situational awareness may be all that’s required to get him into that top tier. He was already there until crumbling for long stretches after the All-Star break. Taking his rips early in counts is a must, but so is settling down and just putting the bat on the ball deeper in counts and with runners in scoring position. Now 25 years old, hopefully the Tigers slugger can just mature that approach somewhat. He’s in for a huge year if he can.

Odds and ends

Evan Woodbery with MLive has the story of Jack Flaherty’s decision to opt-in for 2026. Sounds like he had more guaranteed money available to him in free agency, as you’d expect. But he’s comfortable in Detroit and knows they have a chance to win. That was apparently worth more than another uncertain look at free agency, and Flaherty is perhaps one good season from finally getting the type of offers he was expecting last offseason.

Evan Petzold of the Freep has a story on Reese Olson explaining his shoulder injury and why they tried to rehab it again before finally acquiescing to surgery. Essentially, he was going to miss all of 2026 whenever he had the surgery, so it was worth trying to rehab it fully and avoid going under the knife.

Minimal injury news

Everyone is rehabbing their hips and elbows, everyone is advancing on their return to play progressions

Russell Martin turns 43 today.

Drafted by the Dodgers in the 17th round in 2002, Martin reached the majors in 2006. By 2014, he’d already played for three MLB teams and made the playoffs seven times—enough to earn any player, but especially a catcher, a reputation as a winner.

In 2014, the Blue Jays already had a perfectly adequate catcher in Dioner Navarro, who hit .274/.317/.395 with a 2.5 bWAR and was under contract for 2015. Most of us expected the team’s off-season focus to be elsewhere. Yet, true to his reputation as a ‘ninja’ GM, Alex Anthopoulos surprised us all by signing Martin.

Martin signed a five-year, $82 million contract, which was back-loaded. He was to get $7 in 2015, then $15 million and $20 million a year for the next three seasons (I see in a post I suggested Max Pentecost would be “looking for playing time” by the third year of the contract. It wasn’t the first time I was wrong). The press conference announcing his signing was peppered with the words leadership, chemistry, and ‘changing the culture.’ About ten days later, Alex would trade for Josh Donaldson. There were several moves that winter. Adam Lind was traded for Marco Estrada. We picked up Justin Smoak. Anthony Gose was traded for Devon Travis. And J.A. Happ was shipped to Seattle for Michael Saunders.

Martin’s signing drew plenty of debate. Committing five years to a 32-year-old catcher is always a risk, but most fans were happy to have a good Canadian boy leading the team. Our poll: 66% liked the deal, 15% disliked it, and 20% were neutral.

That spring, Minor Leaguer, some friends, and I went to Montreal for the Jays’ exhibition games at Olympic Stadium. It was a love-in for Russell. He got a standing ovation every time he came to the plate, and his dad played the national anthem on saxophone before the first game..

In 2015, Martin hit .240/.329/.458 with a career-high 23 home runs in 129 games, good for a 3.2 bWAR (FanGraphs was even higher at 4.5). He made his fourth (and final) All-Star appearance, threw out 44% of base stealers, and looked athletic behind the plate. His pitch framing didn’t look as good as in the past, but, to be fair, he was sometimes catching pitchers with little idea where their pitches were going. It’s easier to frame a pitch that hits its target.

Trivia: On April 19th, Martin caught Jeff Francis to form the first All-Canadian battery in team history.

Whether due to leadership, play, or both, the Jays made the playoffs for the first time in ages. Martin struggled at the plate—3-for-15 in the five-game win over Texas, 1-for-11 (with 3 walks) in the six-game loss to Kansas City—but he was at the center of the most bizarre play I’ve ever seen: In Game 5 of the ALDS, his throw back to the mound hit Shin-Soo Choo’s bat, allowing Rougned Odor to score. The umps initially called it a dead ball, but by rule, it wasn’t. Chaos ensued, but the Jays prevailed.

Martin’s 2016 season at the plate wasn’t as strong: .231/.335/.398 with 20 homers in 137 games (2.0 bWAR). His strikeout rate jumped to 27.7% (from 20.9% the year before). He started the year with a sore neck and finished in a slump—catcher’s aches and pains, most likely. His caught-stealing rate plummeted from 44% to 15%, yet he remained a steady presence defensively. Offensively, he again struggled in October: 3 hits (1 homer) in 33 postseason at-bats.

In 2017, Martin played just 91 games, hitting .221/.343/.388 with 13 home runs. He threw out 20% of would-be base stealers and played 77 innings at third base.

Again, he could have had a better time with the bat in the playoffs. Counting the Wild Card game, he had 3 hits (with 1 home run) in 33 playoff at-bats.

2018 saw Martin step back from full-time catching: just 71 games behind the plate (Luke Maile caught 66, Danny Jansen 29, Reese McGuire 11), plus stints at third (21 games), short (3), and even left field (1). He hit .194/.338/.325 with 10 home runs—a career-low 1.3 bWAR. At 35, he looked every bit the veteran catcher. As I’ve said, smart GMs back-load big contracts, knowing the odds are the player won’t finish as a regular (sometimes I get it right).

It is also Álex González’s 49th birthday.

To clarify, this is the Álex González who played half a season at shortstop for the Jays—nicknamed “Sea Bass” for reasons unknown—not the other Alex Gonzalez who spent eight seasons as a shortstop for the Jays.

This Álex signed with Toronto as a free agent before the 2010 season and surprised us by hitting .259/.296/.497 with 17 home runs in just 85 games. Midseason, the Jays traded him, Tim Collins, and Tyler Pastornicky to the Braves for Yunel Escobar and Jo-Jo Reyes. The less said about Jo-Jo, the better. Escobar went on to spend three seasons with the Jays, batting .272/.335/.373 in 338 games before departing as part of the Marlins megadeal.

González played 16 years in the majors, eight of them with the Marlins, and finished with a career .245/.290/.395 line and 157 home runs.

Happy Birthday, Álex.

Elvis Luciano turns 26 today.

You’ll remember Elvis as the Jays’ Rule 5 pick before the 2019 season. That meant he had to stick with the big-league club all year, and he did, appearing in 25 games with a 5.35 ERA.

He spent 2021 and the start of 2022 with New Hampshire. He’s played in Japan the last couple of years.

Happy Birthday Elvis

There have been seasons in White Sox history so dire that this question couldn’t be asked with a straight face. Arguably, 2024 or 2025 could be among them.

But now, hey, there’s a rebuild in apparent motion and a young core of players who are ready to step forward into possible stardom. Will everyone in that core, among them Colson Montgomery, Chase Meidroth, Edgar Quero and Kyle Teel, improve in 2026? Perhaps not, but the law of averages (and 2025’s promise) would indicate someone on the roster will move into star status.

Or perhaps you think someone among the veterans (Munetaka Murakami, Miguel Vargas, Austin Hayes, Andrew Benintendi among them) is going to break out. And if you’re really dour on the current roster (or high on a prospect), perhaps your pick is Braden Montgomery, Noah Schultz or Hagen Smith breaking camp with the White Sox or making a stirring leap into the majors early in the season.

So, who’s your pick for the White Sox player with the brightest 2026 ahead?

Cavan Biggio is following in his father's footsteps.

The son of Astros legend Craig Biggio signed a minor league deal with Houston on Sunday.

The contract includes an invitation to spring training as a non-roster player.

Biggio spent 2025 with the Kansas City Royals, though he only played in 37 games and made just 83 plate appearances. His best season came during his rookie year with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2019, when he recorded 16 home runs and 48 RBIs over 100 games.

The 30-year-old Biggio has a career average of .223 to go along with 52 homers and 190 RBIs across seven seasons with the Royals, Blue Jays, Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves.

Biggio's main asset during his big-league career has been his defensive versatility. He's played at every position except pitcher and catcher, including 219 starts at second base and 104 combined starts at all three outfield positions.

Craig Biggio, 60, spent 20 years with the Astros during his Hall of Fame career.

The Astros will play their first spring training game Feb. 21 against the Washington Nationals.

It’s hard to process just how complicated it must be to be a two-way professional baseball player. There’s a reason, after all, while the list of those who have successfully pulled it off in the modern age consists of Shohei Ohtani and literally nobody else.

So, when you look at what Sheng-En Lin pulled off during the 2025 season in the Cincinnati Reds system, you’ve got to view it through the lens of a player who’s been trying to both pitch and hit since signing with the club at age 17.

The 2025 season for him also featured a series of notable twists. First, he stopped being a position player mid-year after being promoted to Class-A Daytona of the Florida State League after slumping to a .172/.348/.310 line in his third trip through Arizona Complex League play. But when he got to the Tortugas, he picked up pitching again in actual games for the first time since signing with the Reds as an international free agent, and immediately hit the ground running with a 3.06 ERA and 61/15 K/BB in 47.0 IP.

In one season he dropped being a hitter for the first time, returned to pitching in games after a two-year hiatus, and got promoted to A-ball mid-season, yet still found a way to thrive. And now that he’s going to focus solely on pitching, there’s sincere hope that he’ll both gain velocity back that he’d shown earlier in his career and continue to dazzle, as that’s what we’ve seen from him already in a very short stint.

Sheng-En Lin is the #19 prospect in this year’s Community Prospect Rankings, earning that honor by the narrowest of margins in the latest round of voting.

To nobody’s surprise, Bryce Harper earned more votes than Dustin McGowan in their matchup of the “Last Man In” free agent tournament.

We’ve come to our final first round matchup:

1. Cliff Lee, 2011

Stats with the Phillies: 118 games, 48-34 W-L, 2.94 ERA, 813 K, 124 BB, 20.7 bWAR

The Phillies traded for Cliff Lee at the 2009 trade deadline, and he helped them reach the World Series. And then, the Phillies traded him away for a really awful return. Lee was a free agent after 2010, and with Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, and Roy Oswalt already in the Phillies’ rotation, most people didn’t think they were even a remote possibility for Lee.

However, Lee apparently loved it in Philadelphia and took a slightly lower offer with the “mystery team” to return. The result was the ultra-fun (at least until the playoffs) 2011 season of the Four Aces.

The rest of Lee’s time with the Phillies was somewhat disappointing, but darned if 2011 wasn’t fun.

16. Michael Saunders, 2017

Stats with the Phillies: 61 games, .205/.257/.360, 6 HR, 20 RBIs, -0.9 bWAR

By 2017, the Phillies were starting to transition out of rebuild mode, and general manager Matt Klentak wanted to acquire some veteran “professional hitters” to supplement the young lineup. One of the guys he targeted was outfielder Michael Saunders who had made the All-Star Game with the Blue Jays the year before.

There were some warning signs with Saunders. 2016 was the first season in an eight-year career he hit over 20 home runs or had an OPS over .800. And though his first half of 2016 was All-Star caliber, he slumped badly in the second half.

That slumped continued into 2017. By mid-June, the Phillies decided if they were going to get poor hitting from a right fielder, it might as well be from a young hitter with some potential to improve. They released Saunders who went back to Toronto and continued to hit poorly.

Who should advance? Vote now!

*In an effort to make the nomination votingeasier for everyone, I will comment, “NOMINATIONS”, and you may reply to that with your picks and upvote the player you’d like to see on the next nominee list.

The next player to land on our annual CPL is right-hander Henry Baez. One of the return pieces for Mason Miller, Baez is a strong right-hander who has steadily climbed the minor league ladder and is now on the cusp of the majors. The A’s have lots of options ahead of him to open the season but he could be an option for the starting rotation later this summer if he continues to impress against high-quality batters.

Next nominee will be outfielder Junior Perez. The righty-swinging corner outfielder has lots of pop in his bat and displayed some speed this past season split between Double and Triple-A. Now 24 and just one stop away from the big leagues, Perez could very well be an option for the Athletics this coming season if he continues to show improvement in the batter’s box. The A’s clearly think highly of him after they protected him from being selected by other clubs in the Rule 5 Draft.

The process for this public vote is explained below. Please take a moment to read this before participating:

• Please only vote for one. The player with the most votes at the end of voting will win the ranked spot. The remaining four players move on to the next ballot where they are joined by a new nominee.
• In the comments, below the official voting, the community will nominate players to be put onto the ballot for the next round. The format for your comment should be “Nomination: Player Name”.
• If a prospect is traded, his name will be crossed out, and all other players will be moved up a space. If a prospect is acquired, a special vote will be put up to determine where that player should rank.

Click on the link here to vote!

* * *

A’s fans top prospects, ranked:

1. Leo De Vries, SS
2. Jamie Arnold, LHP
3. Gage Jump, LHP
4. Wei-En Lin, LHP
5. Braden Nett, RHP
6. Henry Bolte, OF
7. Johenssy Colome, SS
8. Edgar Montero, SS
9. Steven Echavarria, RHP
10. Devin Taylor, OF
11. Mason Barnett, RHP
12. Tommy White, 3B
13. Henry Baez, RHP

The voting continues! Who is the 14th-best prospect in the A’s system? Here’s a quick rundown on each nominee— the scouting grades (on a 20-to-80 scale) and scouting reports come from MLB Pipeline.

Nominees on the current ballot:

Zane Taylor, RHP

Expected level: Double-A | Age: 23

2025 stats (AAA): 0.00 ERA, 1 start, 2 IP, 4 K, 2 BB, 0 HR, 2.97 FIP

MLB Pipeline grades and scouting report:

Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 55 | Overall: 40

Taylor’s fastball jumped 3 mph this spring, as he worked at 92-95 mph and touched 98 while maintaining his velocity deep into games and throughout the season. His fastball lacks life but he commands it well and it’s difficult to hit when he locates it up in the zone. He does a fine job of killing spin on his low-80s changeup, which fades and sinks and grades as a solid pitch.

While neither Taylor’s mid-80s slider nor his low-80s curveball stand out with their spin or shape, they generate a high level of chases and empty swings. He overcomes his lack of size with a drop-and-drive delivery that produces a low release height, flat approach angle and plenty of extension, which combine to make his pitches more difficult for hitters to pick up. He’s 23 and pretty much a finished product, but he has a long history of throwing strikes and a high floor as at least a back-of-the-rotation starter.

Shotaro Morii, SS/RHP

Expected level: Low-A | Age: 19

2025 stats (Rookie Affiliate): 188 PA, .258/.399/.384, 8 doubles, 1 triple, 3 HR, 27 RBI, 36 BB, 47 K, 4 SB

MLB Pipeline grades and scouting report:

Scouting grades (hitter): Hit: 50 | Power: 50 | Run: 55 | Arm: 60 | Field: 50 | Overall: 40

Scouting grades (pitcher): Fastball: 55 | Slider: 40 | Curveball: 45 | Splitter: 50 | Control: 45 | Overall: 40

At the plate, Morii features a smooth left-handed swing with tremendous balance. His power stands out, as he clubbed 45 home runs as a high schooler. He is considered an advanced hitter with good barrel control. On the mound, his fastball has been clocked as high as 95 mph and sits around 92-93. He also brings a splitter with nasty movement, a true 12-to-6 curveball and a tighter slider with solid bite and depth, though that offering will probably require some fine-tuning. Having only been pitching with regularity for less than two years, Morii’s arm is relatively fresh as he enters the organization.

Morii’s high-octane throwing arm plays well at shortstop, but some evaluators see a possibility of moving to third base as his 6-foot-1 frame fills out. While scouts see Morii’s long-term future in the batter’s box, the A’s plan on giving him every opportunity to succeed as a two-way player, with excitement already building over his impressive physical traits and desire to become one of the next great players out of Japan.

Junior Perez, OF

Expected level: Triple-A | Age: 24

2025 stats (AA/AAA): 587 PA, .231/.348/.473, 29 doubles, 6 triples, 26 HR, 87 RBI, 87 BB, 165 K, 27 SB

Per Billy Owens, Athletics director of player personnel and assistant GM: “Perez is a live-bodied specimen with high-caliber tools. His range and athleticism stand out defensively. Offensively, he can be streaky, but he has displayed plus bat speed, patience and real power. Solid package. Development is not linear. Patience will be required to realize his significant potential.”

Gunnar Hoglund, RHP

Expected level: Triple-A/Majors | Age: 26

2025 stats (Triple-A): 2.43 ERA, 6 starts, 29 2/3 IP, 30 K, 7 BB, 3 HR, 4.17 FIP

2025 stats (Majors): 6.40 ERA, 6 starts, 32 1/3 IP, 23 K, 11 BB, 10 HR, 6.75 FIP

MLB Pipeline grades and scouting report:

Scouting grades: Fastball: 45 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 60 | Overall: 45

Though Hoglund may never get back the electric stuff he possessed earlier in his career, the A’s were encouraged to see his fastball velocity tick back up to the low-90s. He has also experimented with adding a two-seamer and cutter. His low-80s slider now features more sweeping action and works as his main secondary pitch. He has also improved his low-80s changeup, creating a solid three-pitch mix that is enhanced by a strong ability to consistently throw strikes.

Now three years removed from Tommy John, the A’s are hopeful that Hoglund can develop into a solid back-end rotation piece, especially if he can successfully develop a fourth pitch. The Florida native was regularly going deep into starts in his big league cameo (6.40 ERA with 23 strikeouts to 11 walks across 32 1/3 innings) before going down with the injury and is expected to make a full recovery before the 2026 season.

Cole Miller, RHP

Expected level: Single-A | Age: 20

2025 stats (ROK, Single-A): 1.90 ERA, 12 starts (15 appearances), 52 IP, 45 K, 11 BB, 1 HR, 3.38 FIP

MLB Pipeline grades and scouting report:

Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 45 | Overall: 40

The A’s were working on some mechanical adjustments with Miller prior to his injury. His electric fastball ticked up to 96 mph in high school and displayed excellent movement down in the zone. The mid-80s slider is a hard breaker and was showing signs of improvement. His low-80s changeup showed some potential as an average third pitch.

There was real excitement within the organization for Miller’s professional debut. His three-pitch mix and large 6-foot-6 frame give off the potential of a workhorse-type starting pitcher in the big leagues. The A’s also loved the competitiveness they saw from him on the mound while scouting him. After an unfortunate delay, he finally got his first opportunity to make an impression this summer.

* * *

Programming Note: Each CPL vote will run for around 48 hours, so don’t delay in making your vote!

Philadelphia Phillies' president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski chose an odd time to call out one of his star players last season. Following the team's postseason departure in October, Dombrowski suggested that first baseman Bryce Harper, a two-time National League MVP, was no longer an elite player.

With spring training getting underway soon, Harper was asked by reporters what he thought of Dombrowski's comments.

Bryce Harper on “not elite” shirt and Dave Dombrowski’s comments

(Via @TimKellySports) pic.twitter.com/9GgCf4WVyS

— OnPattison (@OnPattison) February 15, 2026

Harper stayed mostly professional throughout his answer, but did express some discontent.

"For me it was kinda wild the whole situation of that happening," Harper said.

"I think the big thing for me was when we first met with this organization it was, 'Hey we’re always going to keep things in-house and we expect you to do the same thing.' So when that didn’t happen it kind of took me for a run a little bit."

Harper also claimed that the "Not Elite" shirt he wore in a December TikTok of him taking batting practice was not a statement against Dombrowski, merely a shirt that was made for him. Harper claimed, "If they're going to make [the shirts] for me, I'm going to wear them." However, the timing seems odd considering Dombrowski had spent the previous month claiming he and Harper had cleared the air.

Harper is entering his age-33 season.

Did Harper struggle in 2025?

By Harper's standards, absolutely.

In 2025, Harper posted his second-lowest batting average (.261), lowest on-base percentage (.357), and lowest slugging percentage (.487) of his Phillies' career.

That said, he still posted a 129 OPS+, which is a high-end figure by any metric. Furthermore, his strikeout rate dropped between 2024 (21.9%) and 2025 (20.9%) as well as his average exit velocity (91.3) and barrel percentage (12.3%).

When do the Phillies begin spring training?

The Phillies begin spring training on February 21 with a matchup against the reigning American League champion Toronto Blue Jays. The game is scheduled for a 1:07 p.m. ET start time.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bryce Harper finally speaks on Dombrowski's "no longer elite" comment