Phillies' Bryce Harper Problem Runs Deeper Than You Think

Let me preface this by saying that offensively, Bryce Harper was terrific for the Philadelphia Phillies this past season.

Harper slashed .269/.380/.485 with 29 home runs and 87 RBI over 693 plate appearances, and while he certainly disappeared a bit in September, he was good enough the rest of the way that you can give him some grace.

The 34-year-old has posted a .904 OPS since joining the Phillies back in 2020, although it does seem pretty clear that he isn't quite the same hitter he was when he initially arrived.

Regardless, Harper has been great in Philadelphia, and there's no getting around it.

However, at this stage of his career, Harper has become even more of a defensive liability, and with Kyle Schwarber owning the DH spot, that creates quite a problem.

Harper played both first base and right field in 2026, and he wasn't good at either.

The two-time MVP posted minus-5 outs above average at first base and a fielding run value of minus-10. In right field, he logged minus-5 defensive runs saved and minus-3 outs above average.

To be quite frank, given Harper's age and the fact that he hadn't played the outfield since a brief 68-inning stint in 2022, I'm surprised he was even that good.

But Harper is aging, he has some knee issues and he is under contract through 2031. Meanwhile, the Phillies signed Schwarber to a five-year extension last winter.

In no way, shape or form does Philadelphia want Schwarber playing defense. So he will be stuck at designated hitter so long as he is in Philly. That means Harper will have to be out in the field every game, and that isn't good for anyone.

Harper's dWAR was minus-1.4 in 2026, his lowest mark since posting a minus-2.7 with the Washington Nationals back in 2018. Yes, he does compensate for his defensive shortcomings with his bat and always has, but what if his offense starts to slip?

Because I will say that Harper, for as good as he was at the dish this season, did start to show some signs of a downturn.

His average exit velocity of 90.0 mph was the second-lowest of his career. So was his 10.3 percent barrel rate. His 42.8 percent hard-hit rate was by far is worst mark since 2017.

This isn't to say that Harper will suddenly fall off a cliff in 2027, but the chance of a decline is clearly there.

Couple that with the fact that we already know how bad Harper is with the glove, and it definitely makes things a bit dicey for the Phillies moving forward.

And yes, Schwarber is part of the problem, as well.

Philadelphia won't be trading Harper or Schwarber this offseason, and based on Harper's no-trade clause and Schwarber's 10-and-5 rights, it probably couldn't even if it wanted to.

But that means the Phillies could ultimately be stuck.