NL Central Contender Wisely Named Landing Spot if Phillies Deal Bryce Harper

Will the Philadelphia Phillies trade a key player if there struggles continue?

Apr 30, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper (3) looks on during the first inning against the San Francisco Giants at Citizens Bank Park. | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies have not had the start to the season that they would have liked, and changes have already occurred. 

Following another early exit in the postseason and a disappointing start to the season, it came as little surprise that the Phillies elected to fire their manager, Rob Thomson, after a (9-19) start. 

Even though Thomson has won a lot of games for Philadelphia, the time for a change felt right. Don Mattingly will be taking over, and he has a plethora of experience and will be taking over a team that has a lot of veteran talent. 

So far, the team has responded well to the shakeup, and there has been a jolt of energy. In their series against the San Francisco Giants, the Phillies were able to get a sweep, which included two walk-off wins in their doubleheader on Thursday. 

Even though there has been a little jolt of energy, the possibility of the team not turning it around is certainly there, and if that happens, it might be time for a bit of a shakeup for their roster. 

Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report recently wrote about a potential landing spot for Bryce Harper being the Chicago Cubs. 

Landing Harper Would Be a Massive Splash for the Cubs 

Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

As Chicago tries to figure out if it can contend with the best of the best in the National League, making one more addition to their lineup could be key. This winter, the team might have lost Kyle Tucker, but they did add Alex Bregman to help replace that production. 

While Bregman is a great overall player, he isn’t the same caliber of hitter as Tucker at this point in his career. With the Cubs seemingly having a chance to compete, going all-in and looking to land a star like Harper would really improve their chances of contending. Furthermore, while Harper would be expensive for Chicago, he could be one of the missing pieces with some poor production at first base so far. 

When looking at things from the Phillies' side, the Cubs have a wealth of young talent in their farm system, and that could be appealing if Philadelphia does elect to trade one of the faces of the franchise. 

The Phillies will certainly be trying to turn things around after the major changes, but if things continue to go south, anything could be on the table. While trading Harper would be a shocker, the team could look to shake things up if they continue their struggles.