The Philadelphia Phillies’ first baseman, Bryce Harper, admitted that his team needed help at the trade deadline. Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say, as Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly publicly called him out for it. Mattingly’s scathing remarks have since sparked a debate over whether his response to Harper was appropriate. The latest to criticize him is Paul Hembekides.

“He is the only person, in my judgment, whose opinion matters not at all here because he couldn’t be more biased,” Paul Hembekides said, as per 97.5 The Fanatic on X. “For him to say, ‘Play GM,’ when his kid’s the GM shows a total lack of respect for the organization and a total ignorance of his role within it.”

The Phillies need reinforcements in multiple areas, including the outfield, rotation, and right-handed hitting, before 6 pm ET Monday. Insiders have also linked the team to several players. But when Harper said the same on Tuesday after their loss to the Miami Marlins, Mattingly indicated that he was the only player within the organization who thought so.

The interim manager made it clear that roster decisions and discussing them only belonged to the Phillies’ front office.

“Guys want to be a GM for what you need without a real understanding of where the organization is, exactly where this thing goes, not only this year, but moving forward,” Mattingly reportedly said.

“Players like being GMs and making calls and spending other people’s money. I’ll just let it go at that. I mean, Dave has been doing this a while. He’s never really backed away from trying to get guys. We’re trying to get better. We’re trying to get better at the deadline.”

Mattingly’s response to Harper triggered widespread criticism. A former NFL star also criticized the interim manager’s handling of the issue. Now, Hembekides has added his own two cents to it.

The analyst has accused him of being ‘biased’ because his son, Preston Mattingly, is the Phillies GM. He believes that Mattingly is the “one person on Earth, in my judgment, that is not allowed to say it.”

Hembekides further took a jab at Mattingly about his job security as the manager. While Harper’s contract with the Phillies runs through the 2031 season, Mattingly might not be the manager in 2027.

“Ultimately, this is also someone who’s only the manager because Alex Cora didn’t want the job, and Alex Cora’s probably gonna be in this role next year. So please just keep the seat warm and don’t burn it up,” Hembekides remarked.

When the Phillies fired Rob Thomson in late April after the team fell into a 9-19 hole, Dave Dombrowski reportedly wanted Alex Cora as the team’s manager. But Cora declined, saying that he wanted to spend time with his family, and the job became Mattingly’s.

As analysts and fans continue to weigh in, the debate over whether the interim manager crossed a line shows no signs of fading anytime soon.