Phillies' Bryce Harper Talks Dombrowski's 'Not Elite' Comments in Video, 'That's a Wild Take'

Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper is making sure Dave Dombrowski knows he hasn't forgotten the comments about his performance from the 2025 season.

Appearing on the Bussin' with the Boys podcast (starts at 2:31:15 mark), Harper said "that's a wild take" in reference to Dombrowski's comments.

Dombrowski, who has been the Phillies president of baseball operations since 2021, told reporters in October after the team's NLDS loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers that Harper had a very good 2025 that wasn't necessarily up to his past standards:

"He's still a quality player. He's still an All-Star-caliber player," Dombrowski said. "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."

In the context Dombrowski used, it's not an unfair assessment of how Harper played in 2025. He is a player with two NL MVP awards on his resume, and his 3.5 fWAR last season was his worst in a year that he played at least 130 games.

The 2025 campaign marked the first time in three years that Harper didn't receive appear on any MVP ballots.

It is very unusual for a person of Dombrowski's standing to say something like that publicly, which is what Harper has been calling out all offseason. He threw some not-so-subtle shade by wearing a "not elite" t-shirt during a batting practice session in December.

Despite Dombrowski's comment, there's no indication of any ill will toward Harper and the Phillies organization as a whole. He is going to be a huge factor for Philadelphia as it looks to get back to the playoffs this season.

Even in a down year by his standards, Harper still hit .261/.357/.487 with 27 homers in 132 games. The Phillies won the NL East with a 96-66 record before losing to the Dodgers in four games in the NLDS.

The Phillies haven't won a playoff series since the 2023 season when they lost to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League Championship Series.