Bryce Harper, the Philadelphia Phillies’ superstar, said he was “hurt” by Dave Dombrowski’s apparent doubt of whether the two-time National League MVP could return to elite level following a poor year.
In his end-of-season news conference, the Phillies’ president of baseball operations termed Harper “a quality player” but remarked that he did not have an outstanding season and questioned if Harper “becomes elite or he continues to be good.” The comments spurred rumors that the Phillies may be looking to move on from the superstar, who has six years remaining on his $330 million contract and a no-trade clause.
“I have given my all to Philly from the start,” Harper told The Athletic on Saturday. “Now there’s trade talk? I made every attempt to prevent it. That’s all I heard in D.C. [with the Nationals]. I despised it. “It makes me uncomfortable.”
Harper, 33, is coming off a season with his lowest OPS (.844) since 2016. In the NL Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Harper went 3-for-15 with 0 RBIs across four games. He also missed one month of the season due to a wrist ailment.
“It’s disappointing to hear me being questioned about my contribution to the team,” Harper told The Athletic. “I was deeply upset by that thought since I adore Philadelphia.
“From shifting positions to returning early from injury, I demonstrate complete dedication to my team. Despite this, trade talks continue.
Dombrowski has disputed that the Phillies want to deal Harper and downplayed his statements from earlier this month.
“That couldn’t be further from the truth,” Dombrowski told “Foul Territory” earlier this week when asked about the Harper trade rumors. “We love him. We think he’s an excellent player. He’s a key member of our squad. I have seen him have better years. I expect him to have better years. br/]