Bryce Harper’s performance and future with the Philadelphia Phillies have become a topic of discussion after comments from Dave Dombrowski, the team’s president of baseball operations. Dombrowski questioned whether Harper could return to “elite” status, leading to speculation about the intent behind his remarks and how Harper received them. Harper is entering his eighth year of a 13-year, $330 million contract.
Harper’s agent, Scott Boras, responded to the comments. “You put gas in the tank and the Harperi – meaning the Ferrari – works,” Boras said. “Bryce shares in the frustration of the Phillies not being a world champion. Dave has to do the catharsis every year when they don’t win it, and I’m sure it’s difficult to do.
“However, give Bryce Harper more pitches to hit and the metrics speak that all that they want will be delivered. Because the metrics are clearly there that he’s among the top in the game. He continues to be. All that data says that.”
In 2025, Harper batted .261 with 27 home runs, 75 RBIs and an .844 OPS. This marked his lowest OPS since 2016 (.814) and his lowest OPS+ (129) since 2019 (126). However, Harper’s .844 OPS ranked him 22nd out of 145 qualified players in Major League Baseball. Advanced statistics showed most of his expected metrics were better than those from 2024, when he hit .285 with 30 home runs.
One challenge for Harper has been a lack of pitches in the strike zone. Out of more than 500 players who saw at least 200 pitches this season, Harper saw strikes just 43 percent of the time—the lowest rate in MLB. In postseason play, only one player saw fewer pitches in the zone than Harper did.
“That’s the stat,” Boras said.
Boras also noted: “A glaring element of this is that of anybody in baseball, he gets the least amount of pitches to hit.”
Harper spent much of this season batting third in Philadelphia’s lineup. The team’s cleanup hitters collectively posted a .720 OPS—20th in baseball—which was their lowest ranking for any lineup spot.
The Phillies may look for a stronger hitter for their cleanup position next season to support Harper. Options include re-signing Kyle Schwarber or pursuing a free agent such as Pete Alonso; both are considered power hitters who could offer protection for Harper in the lineup. However, Dombrowski signaled that financial constraints would limit spending: “I don’t think we’re going to have a $400 million payroll,” he said.
A position change for Harper appears unlikely despite his willingness to move back to outfield if needed for roster flexibility. Dombrowski explained: “I think Bryce is a first baseman at this time… He has asked to go out into the outfield. He would be willing to do so. But I think it would be more for the short term, if we’d have done something at the trading deadline.”
Phillies manager Rob Thomson expressed confidence about Harper’s motivation ahead of next season: “I think he’s highly motivated to have the best season of his career next year,” Thomson said last week. “That’s what the plan is going to be for him.”
Harper missed almost a month this season due to inflammation in his right wrist but finished healthy according to team officials. Owner John Middleton commented last month: “Bryce has been nursing a bad wrist all season.” Boras added: “The only issue that I was surprised by is that Dave did not say that Bryce Harper missed a month of the season and therefore his numbers volume-wise weren’t there… But Bryce Harper being Bryce Harper is a talent, and how they can improve is that he’s got to get more pitches to hit.”
