Since the time President Dave Dombrowski questioned two-time National League MVP and franchise icon Bryce Harper’s elite status during his end-of-season press conference, everyone, from Scott Boras to Joel Sherman, has shared their take on the matter. Even Dombrowski himself later came forward to clarify his comments. But through it all, the main man, Bryce Harper, stayed silent. Now, the Phillies star has finally spoken to The Athletic, and he didn’t hold back, admitting he was both confused and clearly upset by the entire situation.

“I have given my all to Philly from the start. 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,” Harper told The Athletic’s Matt Gelb.“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.”

These comments are raising red flags after the club’s back-to-back early playoff eliminations, despite ending the season with strong records. And YouTuber Marc Luino reacted to The Athletic’s story on Twitter with a retweet that he captioned: “Harper’s comments make me think this might be a bigger problem than we originally thought.” And this is not just what Luino thinks right now, if Dombrowski and owner John Middleton don’t fix this relationship with Harper before winter, it could be a very ugly spring training in Clearwater.

But how did this mess start?

Dombrowski was asked about Harper’s 2025 season in his end-of-season press conference. Dombrowski called Harper a “quality player” but not “elite.” He then wondered if Harper could be elite again, saying, “Can he rise to the next level again? I don’t really know that answer.” And since then media, especially in Philly, went wild, and the “not elite” comment sparked speculations as if the Phillies would trade their superstar.

NY Post’s Joel Sherman even said he would not be “100% shocked” if Harper got traded. And this forced Dombrowski to go into damage control. “Now I’ve been reading that, ‘Oh, the Phillies may trade Bryce Harper.’ That couldn’t be further from the truth,” Dombrowski said on the “Foul Territory” show.  “We love him. We think he’s a great player. He’s a very important part of our team. I’ve seen him have better years. I look for him to have better years.”

But Dombrowski’s critique did have some basis

Harper’s 2025 season was a step back. He hit .261 with 27 home runs and a 131 wRC+ this season. His .844 OPS was his lowest in a full season since 2016. The 131 wRC+ was still very good, and only 24 other hitters in baseball topped that this season, but it is the fifth-lowest of Harper’s 14-year Major League career. His home run total was also dropped from last season’s 30.

But we can’t ignore that he was not fully healthy throughout the season.  Harper, who has already battled with plenty of injuries in his career,  was sidelined for most of June with wrist inflammation. So he explained, “All players get hurt. I hurt my wrist this year and missed a month. Of course, I don’t have full-year numbers.” 

Harper’s agent, Scott Boras, was also “surprised” that Dombrowski ignored the wrist injury. He noted that Harper saw pitches in the zone only 43 percent of the time this season. So he expected to see more lineup protection for Harper in 2026. Harper, who chose a 13-year, $330 million deal, refused any opt-out clause, saying, “From changing positions to coming back early from injury, I show total commitment for my team. And yet there is still trade talk.”

This entire debate boils down to one thing. The conflict is not really about stats or elite labels. It is about Bryce Harper’s commitment to Philadelphia, which didn’t get enough respect. He signed his $330 million deal with no opt-outs under the previous GM and wanted to show the city he was all in. Dave Dombrowski’s careless words completely ignored that. So, now the pressure is fully on the front office led by Dombrowski and Middleton to repair this broken trust.