The Philadelphia Phillies are at a crossroads after the Atlanta Braves eliminated them in the Wild Card Series. Moreover, with most of their core players in their 30s, could it be time for a full-blown rebuild?
Bryce Harper is one of the veterans the Phillies would need to offload in a full-blown rebuild. However, the 33-year-old still has five years left on his 13-year contract with Philadelphia, so it would be interesting to see whether any contending team wants to take on it.
For Jake Elman of FanSided, Harper has two potential trade fits if the Phillies decide to hit the reset button: The Toronto Blue Jays and the Boston Red Sox.
Starting with the Blue Jays, Elman explained that Harper could be a piece for Toronto to get back to the postseason after reaching the World Series in 2025 and then failing to make the playoffs this year.
“How aggressive will the Blue Jays be after missing the postseason? Great question,” Elman wrote in an Oct. 2 article. “They’re possibly already regretting the Vladimir Guerrero contract given both his regression and the recent work ethic concerns. As of now, he’s the newest poster boy of why you don’t give players contracts exceeding six or seven years.
“So should that scare Toronto into passing on Harper? Not necessarily. If the goal is to keep up with the other four AL East teams, and especially the Yankees and Rays, then Harper is worth the risk — so long as he’s willing to play right field on the Rogers Centre turf.”
Red Sox Make Sense as Trade Fit for Bryce Harper
Meanwhile, the Red Sox are coming to be eliminated by the New York Yankees for the second straight year. As a result, could the Red Sox take a swing at the veteran to see if Harper could be what gets Boston into the ALDS after falling in the Wild Card Series?
“You’d think that losing a second straight postseason to the Yankees would be bad enough, but a disappearing offense and manager Chad Tracy’s controversial bullpen management incited some textbook Red Sox Nation fury on social media,” Elman added in his article.
“Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras both took jabs at Tracy after the Game 2 loss, and it’s unclear whether both veterans will be back in Boston. Harper and his potent swing are a perfect match for Fenway Park, and he’s grown into a well-respected leader around baseball, especially from a union perspective. We suggest Craig Breslow prioritize Harper as a middle-of-the-lineup elder statesman who can bring stability to the clubhouse.”
Phillies Shouldn’t Go Full-Blown Rebuild
Although Harper is in his mid-30s, the Phillies star was reliable this season from an injury perspective. Harper hit .269 with 155 hits, 29 home runs, 87 RBIs, and 93 runs scored in 162 games this season, per StatMuse.
Meanwhile, Emmanuel Berbari of SNY believes it’s time for Philadelphia to make changes as their championship window has now closed. Nonetheless, he doesn’t see the Phillies making big changes such as trading Harper.
“Their window was 2022, 2023,” Berbari said on an Oct. 2 appearance on SNY. “Felt the magic in their playoff runs. They were a game away from the World Series, and they let a young Arizona Diamondbacks team come into their building, win Game 6, win Game 7. Brandon Pfaadt, as a rookie, was pitching Game 7. They never should have lost that series. So that, to me, was the window to win the World Series. Since then, it’s been a steady decline for the Phillies.
“I don’t think you blow it up, but you gotta aggressively retool this team outside of those big contracts you’re talking about. All those guys are on the books, are gonna be here. This team is pretty feeble in the lineup beyond that heavy-hitting weight at the top of the order.”
Blue Jays, Red Sox Get Strong Take on Phillies’ Bryce Harper