Bryce Harper ‘hurt’ by Dave Dombrowski’s doubt after down year

Philadelphia Phillies superstar Bryce Harper said he was “hurt” by Dave Dombrowski’s apparent questioning of whether the two-time National League MVP could return to an elite status after a down year.

The Phillies’ president of baseball operations called Harper “a quality player” in his end-of-season news conference but noted that he didn’t have an elite season and questioned whether Harper “becomes elite or he continues to be good.” The comments sparked speculation that the Phillies might be looking to move on from the superstar, who has six years left on his $330 million deal, as well as a no-trade clause.

“I have given my all to Philly from the start,” Harper told The Athletic on Saturday. “Now there is trade talk? I made every effort to avoid this. It’s all I heard in D.C. [with the Nationals]. I hated it. It makes me feel uncomfortable.”

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Harper, 33, is coming off a season in which his OPS (.844) was its lowest since 2016. Against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL Division Series, Harper was just 3-for-15 with no RBIs in the four-game loss. He also missed a month of the season with a wrist injury.

“It’s disappointing to hear me being questioned about my contribution to the team,” Harper told The Athletic. “Just really hurt by that notion because I love Philly so much.

“From changing positions to coming back early from injury, I show total commitment for my team. And yet there is still trade talk.”

Dombrowski has denied the Phillies would want to trade Harper and downplayed his comments from earlier this month.

“That couldn’t be further from the truth,” Dombrowski said earlier this week on “Foul Territory” when asked about the Harper trade rumors. “We love him. We think he’s a great player. He’s a very important part of our team. I’ve seen him have better years. I look for him to have better years.”