The New York Yankees had such an inactive offseason that they even drew criticism from their normally soft-spoken and controversy-shy three-time American League MVP Aaron Judge. But the Bronx Bombers could wrap up their offseason in explosive fashion with a blockbuster trade for eight-time All-Star Bryce Harper of the Philadelphia Phillies, according to one Yankees analyst.
“Yankees fans have been fantasizing about Bryce Harper in pinstripes since the day he debuted in the majors. That dream has never been closer to reality,” wrote Inna Zeyger of Pinstripes Nation this week. “And it has never been more complicated.”
According to Zeyger, under “normal” circumstances, the Phillies would never consider trading away their two-time National League MVP who is heading into the eighth season of a 13-year, $330 million contract. “But the circumstances in Philadelphia are no longer normal.”
Philadelphia’s 33-year-old face of the franchise has been at the center of a controversy that appears to have opened a widening rift between Harper and the club — a controversy that was sparked by comments last October by Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, who gave an off-the-cuff evaluation of Harper shortly after his team exited the NL playoffs with a 3-1 Division Series defeat to the eventual World Series-winning Los Angeles Dodgers.
Dombrowski: Harper Good But Not ‘Elite’
Dombrowski’s comments were apparently intended to address Harper’s age and injury history.
“He’s still a quality player. He’s still an All-Star-caliber player,” Dombrowski said at the time. “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.”
Harper did not issue a response to the comments until his arrival at Phillies’ spring training in Clearwater, Florida, when it became clear that he had not taken Dombrowski’s comments well.
“For me it was kind of wild the whole situation of that happening,” Harper said, as quoted by ESPN.com. “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,’ so when that didn’t happen, it kind of took me for a run a little bit.”
In 2025, Harper posted an OPS of .844, highly respectable but his lowest since 2016, when he was still with the Washington Nationals, who made Harper the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2010. His WAR of 3.1 was the sixth-lowest of his 14-year career.
Obstacles to Yankees Trade, Even With Rift
The Yankees trade rumors picked up further fuel when Harper commented that he is excited to be paired with Judge in the Team USA World Baseball Classic lineup.
“The fantasy of Harper and Judge hitting back-to-back in the same lineup is about to become reality on Team USA,” Zeyger wrote. “Whether Brian Cashman watches that pairing and picks up the phone is another matter entirely.”
For the Yankees to deal for Harper, Zeyger notes, Harper would first need to waive his full no-trade clause.
“He chose Philadelphia over every other suitor in 2019. If the relationship with Dombrowski has deteriorated enough, that clause might not be the barrier it once was,” the Pinstripes Nation scribe wrote. “But the Phillies would also have to be willing sellers, and Dombrowski has not publicly signaled any desire to move his highest-paid player.”
The next obstacle would be money. Harper is owed $23.5 million each year for the next six seasons. At a current number of $333,249,200, according to Spotrac, the Yankees already own the third-highest payroll in MLB. Adding Harper’s salary would not change their rank but would take them within about $12 million of the No. 2-ranked New York Mets and would be a commitment that may be too much for managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner.
Yankees Urged to Trade For Bryce Harper After 2-Time MVP’s Dust-Up With Phillies