Phillies' Bryce Harper Opens Up About 'Not Elite' Comments

One of the Philadelphia Phillies’ biggest storylines over the offseason wasn’t one that was the

Shortly after the 2025 season ended in disappointing fashion for the team, Phillies President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski admitted that he’s not sure if Bryce Harper will ever get back to playing at an “elite” level again. 

Then, a few weeks later, Harper was spotted wearing a “not elite” shirt while going through an offseason workout.

With the Phillies roster reporting to Clearwater, Harper was asked about the comments and gave his honest reaction to them from someone in the front office.

“Not really. I mean, I don't get motivated by that kind of stuff. 
For me, it was kind of wild, the whole situation, of that happening,” Harper said on Sunday.

“I think the big thing for me was when we first met with this organization, it was, ‘Hey, we're always gonna keep things in house, and we expect you to do the same thing.’ So when that didn't happen, kind of took me for a run a little bit. It's kind of a wild situation that even happening… for Dave to come out and say those things, it's kind of wild to me still.”

Clearly, these comments from Dombrowski aren’t something Harper is too pleased about, and he made that incredibly clear with his reaction to it, now, even months later.

That said, the Phillies star did make it clear he didn’t have the season he would’ve liked, but doesn’t need someone from his own organization motivating him to be better.

Obviously, I didn't have the year that I wanted. Obviously, I didn't have the postseason I wanted. My numbers weren't where they needed to be,” Harper continued. “I don't need to be motivated to be great in my career or anything else, so that's just not a motivating factor for me.”

Hopefully, this isn’t a story that will carry into the regular season. Dombrowski made his comments, and Harper made it clear how he feels about them. Now, it’s about preparing for 2026 and making sure the Phillies are in position to win a World Series come October. 

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