Bryce Harper Needs a Major Lineup Change to Thrive With Phillies in 2026

The Philadelphia Phillies have a fairly sizable need to protect Bryce Harper in their lineup because of a natural, and quite frankly not that steep, decline in recent years as he enters his mid-30s. MLB.com's Paul Casella painted the bleak picture of what happened to Harper during the 2025 season without a strong option behind him.

Casella predicted third baseman Alec Bohm ending up behind Harper in 2026, which might not solve the problem, if, of course, Rob Thompson sticks with Harper in the three spot.

"Without a serious offensive threat hitting cleanup behind him, Harper had his worst offensive season as a Phillie. His .844 OPS was his lowest since 2016, while his .357 on-base percentage was his worst qualified mark since his debut year in 2012. Alec Bohm is the most likely candidate for the No. 4 spot this season," Casella wrote.

Casella liked the idea of Harper in the lead-off spot, pointing out the issues that Harper had when switched with the re-signed Kyle Schwarber from No. 3 to No. 2.

"The Phillies tried this, albeit briefly, last season. Wanting to get Harper more pitches in the zone, Thomson flipped the two on April 11 and rolled with that until Harper went down with a left wrist injury on June 6. Upon his return, the Phillies went back to using Schwarber in front of Harper instead of behind him," Casella wrote.

"But here’s the thing: none of that made a difference. In fact, Harper saw fewer pitches in the zone in April and May (42.5%) than he did from July onwards (43.6%). What this means it teams are essentially going to pitch Harper the way they want to pitch him, regardless of who’s hitting behind him."

Bryce Harper About to Become Highest-Paid Phillie Ever

Harper's career earnings in the City of Brotherly Love are about to surpass legendary first baseman Ryan Howard, making him the highest-paid Phillie ever, per On Pattison's Tim Kelly.

"Harper will seize the top spot from Howard in 2026, as the two-time NL MVP's $26 million salary will put him at over $196 million in earnings just as a Phillie," Kelly wrote.

Harper's investment has led to legendary years, but it hurts that the first year he was gone, the Washington Nationals won without him.

It certainly hurts his current perception that Thompson and Philadelphia need to set out to support his bat in the lineup.