All eyes on Bryce: His path back to ‘elite' and what he needs from Phils originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Just over a month ago, Dave Dombrowski sat in the media room at Citizens Bank Park across from reporters following the Phillies’ fourth straight postseason exit.
The president of baseball operations kept things honest — maybe a little too honest.
Arguably the biggest takeaway from his 54-minute end-of-season press conference was about Bryce Harper. Dombrowski was blunt about the two-time MVP’s 2025 campaign and his outlook moving forward.
“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 he continues to be good,” he said. “Can he rise to the next level again? I don’t really know that answer. He’s the one that will dictate that more than anything else.”
Dombrowski continued: “I don’t think he’s content with the year that he had. And again, it wasn’t a bad year. But when you think of Bryce Harper, you think of elite, right? You think of one of the top 10 players in baseball, and I don’t think it fit into that category.”
In 2025, the 32-year-old Harper slashed .261/.357/.487 with 27 home runs and 75 RBIs. His .844 OPS was his lowest in a season since joining the Phillies and his lowest overall since his age-23 year in 2016. He also played through nagging injuries.
He spent just over three weeks on the injured list in June with right wrist inflammation — an issue he’d felt earlier in the season.
A week after the press conference, with Harper trade chatter swirling, Dombrowski went on Foul Territory and tried to pull things back.
“First of all, to me, Bryce Harper is one of the best players in the game of baseball,” Dombrowski said. “Now I’ve been reading that, oh, the Phillies may trade Bryce Harper. That couldn’t be further from the truth. We love him.”
Still, Harper didn’t take Dombrowski’s initial comments lightly. In an interview with Matt Gelb of The Athletic, he said, “I have given my all to Philly from the start. Now there is trade talk? I made every effort to avoid this … It makes me feel uncomfortable.” He later added, “It’s disappointing to hear me being questioned about my contribution to the team. Just really hurt by that notion because I love Philly so much.”
Harper, who has no opt-out and a full no-trade clause, pointed out why the whole thing stung. “I wanted these fans to know Philly is my home, so from the start, I made the commitment to stay here for the rest of my career. No opt-out, even though I was advised otherwise,” he expressed. “From changing positions to coming back early from injury, I show total commitment for my team. And yet there is still trade talk.”
So now that his “elite” status is under the microscope, what can the Phillies expect from Harper in 2026?
Protect him.
It all begins with lineup help.
Harper has lived in the 3-hole since arriving in 2019. In 2025, he rarely had consistent protection behind him. The cleanup spot produced a .720 OPS — 20th in MLB — a steep drop from his best years in Philadelphia.
Nick Castellanos and J.T. Realmuto carried most of those at-bats this past season. Castellanos, 33, posted a .651 OPS in 214 plate appearances out of the four-spot; Realmuto, 34, had a .683 mark in 180 trips there.
Both of those names have offered real protection for Harper before.
His best two seasons as a Phillie came in 2021 and 2023.
In 2021, Harper put up a league-leading 1.044 OPS on his way to a second MVP. As a team, the Phillies had an .819 OPS — fifth-best in the National League. Realmuto did most of the cleanup work that year and hit .287 with an .832 OPS in that role.
In 2023, Harper slashed .293/.401/.499 (.900 OPS). The Phillies’ overall OPS jumped to .822, helped by Castellanos’ 15 homers and .300/.339/.514 line in the four-hole.
The pattern is obvious: when the cleanup spot is a threat, Harper’s numbers jump off the page.
In 2025, that wasn’t the case. The Phillies need a steady right-handed hitter behind him.
The Alonso question and a first-base pivot
One way to get there is the scenario that keeps coming up: Harper moving back to right field.
Dombrowski has publicly pushed back on that this offseason, saying the front office views Harper as its first baseman. But if Harper returned to the outfield, it would open the door to pursue a true middle-of-the-order bat at first — someone like Pete Alonso.
Alonso hit 38 homers and drove in 126 runs in 2025, while also leading the league in doubles. Even with some swing-and-miss, that kind of production behind Harper would change how pitchers game-plan entirely.
His market could be shaped by fellow free-agent first baseman Josh Naylor. On Monday, the 30-year-old signed a five-year, $92.5 million deal after a year in which he hit .295 with 20 homers, 92 RBIs and 30 steals. Naylor is two-and-a-half years younger than Alonso, and his $18.5 million AAV could keep Alonso’s asking price from getting out of control.
If the Phillies want to push Harper back toward “elite,” adding a legitimate right-handed bat behind him is the clearest path.
The analytics point up, a tad
For as much as Dombrowski’s comments have been dissected, Harper’s underlying metrics in 2025 actually trended the right way compared with his 30-homer, .898 OPS season in 2024.
His barrel rate, hard-hit percentage and bat speed all ticked up. His walk rate improved. His strikeout rate went down. The line on the back of the baseball card may have dipped, but the advanced numbers did not scream decline.
The lack of pitches to hit was real, too. Todd Zolecki of MLB.com noted that among hitters who saw at least 200 pitches, Harper saw strikes only 43 percent of the time — the lowest rate of any of the 532 qualified players. That’s what happens when there is a lack of protection.
It’s fair for the Phillies’ front office to ask whether he’ll be “elite” again at 33 and beyond. It’s also fair to point out that a .844 OPS during an injury-riddled season is still star-level production.
What to expect in 2026
Regardless of how you interpret the comments, there’s no question about Harper’s dedication — or his importance to the Phillies. He has a no-trade clause, chose no opt-out when he signed and has been vocal about wanting to finish his career in Philadelphia.
The front office’s responsibility now is straightforward: build a lineup that gives Harper a chance to produce at a higher level. That starts with real protection behind him.
If Harper is healthy, it’s not hard to envision a return closer to his 2021 and 2023 production than what he posted in 2025.
The word “elite” is going to hover around Harper all season. Dombrowski and the Phils will expect star-level production from the eight-time All-Star — and Harper has made it clear he’ll do everything he can to make that happen.
