All-Star first baseman Bryce Harper has been the face of the Philadelphia Phillies organization since he was drafted No. 1 overall in the 2010 Major League Baseball draft. However, the rumors of trouble in paradise were confirmed on Sunday afternoon when Harper stood in front of a school of reporters and sounded off on the Phillies\u2019 president, Dave Dombrowski.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t get motivated by that kind of stuff,\u201d Harper said. \u201cFor me, it was wild \u2014 the whole situation happening. The big thing for me was, when we first met with this organization, it was, \u2018Hey, we\u2019re always going to keep things in-house, and we expect you to do the same thing.\u2019 So, when that didn\u2019t happen, it kind of took me for a run a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harper is referring to tasteless comments Dombrowski made following the 2025 season, when he questioned whether or not the face of his team could return to MVP status after a down year. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s kind of a wild situation \u2014 that even happening. Obviously, I didn\u2019t have the year that I wanted. Obviously, I didn\u2019t have the postseason that I wanted,\u201d Harper said. \u201cI know that, and I don\u2019t need to be motivated to be great\u2026 <\/p>\n
\u201cFor Dave to come out and say those things, it\u2019s kind of wild to me still.\u201d<\/p>\n
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This has left every team wondering if they have a shot at making a trade for one of the league\u2019s biggest stars.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
For the Boston Red Sox, it\u2019s impossible to say they shouldn\u2019t pick up the phone. <\/p>\n
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Harper\u2019s contract, all things considered, is incredibly team-friendly. He signed a\u00a013-year, $330 million\u00a0contract in 2019, with an average annual salary of about $26 million every season until it expires in 2031, making him just the 40th highest-paid player in the league.<\/p>\n
The Red Sox feel very good about their newest first baseman, Wilson Contreras, but the lineup\u2019s biggest weakness is expected to be slugging.<\/p>\n
Adding a career .519 slugger would be just what the doctor ordered for Boston. <\/p>\n
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