PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Bryce Harper turned 33 on Thursday, and the celebration for the new father of four just might not stretch very far inside the Philadelphia Phillies' front office.

After a season in which Harper's .844 OPS was his lowest since 2016 and his .261 average was his worst since 2019, Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski analyzed whether Harper — a two-time NL MVP — can return to form as one of baseball's best players with six years left on his 13-year, $330 million deal.

“He's still a quality player. He's still an All-Star caliber player,” Dombrowski said Thursday as he broke down the season. “He didn't have an elite season like he's had in the past. I guess we only find out if he becomes elite or he continues to be good.”

Just good?

That has to stin

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