When Bryce Harper inked his 13-year, $330 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2019, he chose not to include an opt-out in the contract to show how committed he was to the city and franchise.

So when Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski questioned if the star could return to elite form — sparking trade speculation across the baseball world — it left a bad taste in Harper’s mouth.

“I have given my all to Philly from the start,” Harper told The Athletic‘s Matt Gelb on Saturday. “Now there is trade talk? I made every effort to avoid this. It’s all I heard in D.C. (with the Washington Nationals). I hated it. It makes me feel uncomfortable.”

While Harper, 33, did take a step back by his loft standards in 2025, the two-time MVP still posted a solid .844 OPS and

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