Shocking Quote From Bryce Harper Reveals He's Upset by Phillies Trade Talk

The Philadelphia Phillies had their season end in frustrating fashion for the fourth straight year, and clearly, nobody is happy about it.

With a ton of free agents hitting the open market and one of the oldest rosters in baseball in the fold for Philadelphia, coming up short once again gives president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski a tempting opportunity to hit the reset button.

Though there will be a significant number of new faces, rumors started to fly in the last week after Dombrowski spoke about Bryce Harper not having a great season during his end of year press conference.

Dombrowski threw cold water on the rumors by explaining his comments and saying he is not trading Harper, but apparently, the damage may have already been done.

Harper Was Reportedly Upset by Dombrowski's Comments

Bryce Harper of Philadelphia Phillies in blue uniform — Oct 8, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper (3) reacts as he scores a run during the fourth inning in game three of the NLDS against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the 2025 MLB playoffs at Dodger Stadium. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

On Friday evening, it was reported by Jon Heyman of the New York Post (subscription required) that Harper was "pissed off" about the comments from Dombrowski regarding whether or not he could have an elite season again. This was on the heels of Dombrowski shutting down any sort of trade rumors and saying it isn't happening.

"Harper was said by people connected to the Phillies to be “pissed off” over the comments, which were shockingly candid by today’s usually sanitized standards," Heyman wrote. "Perhaps not insignificantly, Dombrowski’s words probably cast further doubt on Philly’s willingness to grant Harper’s requested extension to his original, then-record $330M, 13-year deal."

On Saturday though, things took an whole new turn as Harper weighed in with some direct comments and said the trade rumors that have developed have hurt him deeply.

Harper Speaks Out on Trade Rumors, Reveals Level of Hurt

Bryce Harper of Philadelphia Phillies walks off field — Oct 6, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper (3) reacts to striking out against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the sixth inning during game two of the NLDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Citizens Bank Park. | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

"I have given my all to Philly from the start," Harper said on Saturday via Matt Gelb of The Athletic (subscription required). "Now there is trade talk? I made every effort to avoid this. It’s all I heard in D.C. (with the Nationals). I hated it. It makes me feel uncomfortable."

He went on to seemingly reveal anger that Dombrowski did not reference his wrist issue while talking about his struggles in 2025.

"I hurt my wrist this year and missed a month. Of course I don’t have full-year numbers," he said. "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."

Will This Lead to Tension Between Harper and Phillies?

Dave Dombrowski of Philadelphia Phillies — Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images

Back and forth between the main decision maker of the organization and the star player ahead of a critical offseason of moves is certainly far from ideal. Both Dombrowski and Harper are consummate professionals though, and they should be able to resolve things behind the scenes before having to do something drastic.

It's certainly concerning though and not the way fans envisioned this offseason going. If Phildelphia is going to move into next year with a fully clean slate and Harper at the center of things, something is going to have to change.