Oct 8, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper (3) celebrates in the dugout after scoring on a Los Angeles Dodgers throwing error during the fourth inning during game three of the NLDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Could Phillies Actually Trade Bryce Harper? One Top MLB Reporter Thinks So

Originally posted on Philadelphia Phillies on SI
By Ian Harper | Last updated Oct 21, 2025 9:00 PM ET

The Philadelphia Phillies have maintained firm in their trust in their current offensive core despite playoff struggles, but that could be changing soon.

Annually holding one of MLB's largest payrolls, and President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski is always willing to add even more pieces, the club has heavily prioritized addition rather than subtraction in recent years.

Their 2025 National League Division Series loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in four games, driven mainly by their inability to consistently push runs across, marked another year where the team's stars failed to meet expectations. The lineup fell flat in far too many major opportunities for a third straight season, four, including the tail end of their 2022 World Series performance, and serious change has been projected by many in the upcoming 2026 offseason.

With most predictions along the lines of adding more big-name players, moving some of their bigger contracts could still be in the cards. Outfielder Nick Castellanos, entering the final year of his 5-year, $100 million deal, has been a prime candidate to be moved, but recent rumors have suggested that the Phillies' brass could be shooting even higher.

With the offseason creeping closer as the World Series is set to kick off on October 24th, New York Post reporter and MLB Network insider Joel Sherman hinted at a potentially shocking move.

Bryce Harper's Future With the Phillies Reportedly Uncertain

On the latest episode of Pinstripe Post, Sherman's New York Post podcast with co-host Ryan Sampson, the possibility of the Phillies trading two-time MVP and face of the franchise, first baseman Bryce Harper.

“Would I be 100% shocked if Bryce Harper got traded this offseason? No”

-Joel Sherman on Pinstripe Post pic.twitter.com/T7x1jKsnWj
— Phillies Tailgate (@PhilsTailgate) October 21, 2025

Sherman wouldn't predict a trade becoming a likely outcome, but he wouldn't rule it out as a possibility.

"Clearly, Dombrowski's comments, [he's] been around way too long to say that without some meaning behind it, I continue to wonder if the meaning is that [Bryce Harper] is unhappy with his contract and this was a kind of side glance back at him," Sherman said. "Would I be 100% shocked if Bryce Harper got traded this offseason? No."

It's far from a guarantee, as Sherman said, but even the fact that it's viewed as possible is extremely noteworthy. With stars being moved at an increased rate recently, including Juan Soto and Garrett Crochet, the idea of the Phillies moving their $330 million man doesn't seem all that inconceivable.

The main caveat, other than Harper's connection to the Philadelphia fanbase being a notable obstacle, is the fact that he has a full no-trade clause. That hasn't stopped deals from being completed in the past, but it essentially allows Harper to dictate if and where he would potentially get traded to.

It's quite unlikely that the rumors materialize into anything of actual substance, but with free agency opening in a handful of weeks, it's certainly a massive storyline to follow.