Overview
- Speaking in Clearwater, Harper said it is “kind of wild” that Dave Dombrowski aired his evaluation publicly after the club had stressed keeping such matters in-house.
- Harper said the comments are not a motivator for him, while acknowledging a down 2025 that included a wrist injury and a .261 average with an .844 OPS, 27 home runs and 75 RBIs in 132 games.
- Manager Rob Thomson plans to bat Harper third again, with a right-handed cleanup hitter for protection; Alec Bohm is most likely, with J.T. Realmuto and Adolis García also in consideration.
- Dombrowski’s October remarks questioned whether Harper could return to elite form, prompting backlash that included an agent response and a December TikTok of Harper wearing a “Not Elite” shirt.
- Harper has six seasons remaining on his 13-year, $330 million contract, and despite the friction there has been no trade movement or change to his role.