For a player of Bryce Harper’s stature, public criticism is part of the game. But hearing it from his own front office is a line rarely crossed. Dave Dombrowski’s comments about Harper’s ability to “rise to the next level again” and his suggestion that the 33-year-old veteran is no longer “elite” caused immediate tension between the player and the organization.

While Harper has been taking subtle digs at their President of Baseball Operations, like wearing a ‘NOT ELITE’ t-shirt in the batting cage during practice, there were no apparent public comments before today!

“I don’t get motivated by that kind of stuff. For me, it was a kind of wild, the whole situation of that happening. I think the big thing for me was when we first met with this organization, it was, ‘Hey, we’re always going to keep things in-house and we expect you to do the same thing.’ When that didn’t happen, it kind of took me for a run a little bit. It’s part of it. Obviously, I didn’t have the year that I wanted. Obviously, I didn’t have the postseason I wanted. My numbers weren’t where they needed to be. I know that. I don’t need to be motivated to be great in my career or anything else. That’s just not a motivating factor for me. For Dave to come out and say those things, it’s kinda wild to me still.”

After Dombrowski’s statements last October, speculations were made that it was to motivate the star or grab public attention.

In fact, Buster Olney had analyzed Dombrowski’s comments as “We don’t know exactly what it is yet. But man, they got to work that out.”

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Even today, when the reasons behind the President’s comments are speculative, Bryce Harper didn’t take it well. While his 2025 season didn’t level up with his previous MVP-like production and saw the lowest rate of pitches in the hitting zone in the league, it was undeniably solid.

The first baseman had a batting average of .261 (lowest since 2019), an on-base percentage of .357, an OPS of .844 (lowest since 2016), 27 home runs, and 75 RBIs in 132 games. Yet, one down season doesn’t define Harper’s overall value.

Over the course of 14 seasons, he won the Rookie of the Year Award, two MVPs, eight All-Star selections, and four Silver Sluggers. He even led Philadelphia to two straight NL East titles.

But Dombrowski’s public statements, instead of in-house discussions, did damage their relationship that the front office had promised to keep.

However, in October itself, the Phillies acted quickly to limit the damage, as Dave Dombrowski acknowledged Harper as a “great player” and that they “love him.”

Now, Rob Thomson, the Phillies Manager, has made it clear that operations would continue despite the public friction.

“Rob Thomson said Bryce Harper will likely report on Sunday,” reported Destiny Lugardo of Phillies Nation.

Yet, Dombrowski’s previous comments now seem petty, especially as the organization wants Harper to be a key part of their plans. The Phillies are not moving away from Harper; they are building around him.

Dombrowski said that Harper will stay at first base and that there are no plans to move him to the outfield. He is locked in for the first eight years of his 13-year, $330 million deal.

However, they have made an even worse choice while dealing with the Harper drama.

The Phillies hand the Padres a steal while mismanaging their franchise star

They sent Nick Castellanos to San Diego in a trade, but they still paid most of his salary. The Phillies pay $20 million a year, while the Padres pay about $780,000, which is almost nothing. It’s not a raise. It’s giving money to the other side while pretending to make strategic moves.

Jeff Kerr explained the disaster.

“The Phillies are paying Nick Castellanos $19.22 million this season after he signed with the Padres.”

San Diego got an experienced player for almost nothing. This is what happens when front offices make bad deals just to show they’re doing something.

For the Padres, Castellanos could play first base, designated hitter, or outfield. Mike Shildt, the manager, is flexible without having to pay for it.

It’s clear what the pattern is now. Dombrowski publicly criticizes Harper, and then the Phillies give money to their rivals. Both actions made news but undermined trust.