Bryce Harper showed up on the Phillies’ road trip with a little extra insurance in his bag: his outfield glove.
That detail matters because Harper, now Philadelphia’s first baseman, said he packed it in case the team makes a move that sends him back to the grass. On Monday night in Miami, he made it clear the idea came from his own thinking, not from any direct conversation with the front office.
“I brought my glove,” Harper told reporters on Monday night in Miami, “just in case they make a trade.”
Harper hasn’t played the outfield since 2022, when a ligament injury to his right (throwing) elbow changed his defensive path. Still, he left the door open a crack for a return if the Phillies bring in another first baseman.
That possibility, though, looks complicated. The Athletic’s Matt Gelb poured some cold water on the idea in his reporting, noting that the market doesn’t exactly have a surplus of impact first basemen. He pointed to Christian Walker of the Houston Astros as one possible name, but also noted Walker is signed through 2027, which would make any Harper position switch more than a short-term fix.
Harper was careful not to suggest he had any inside information.
“Organizationally, I haven’t talked to anybody about it,” Harper said. “So I don’t know.
I mean, I think everybody knows kind of what we need, right? I mean everybody in here knows what we want.
Everybody in baseball kind of knows what we need. So there’s players out there that are available, and I think we have a good opportunity to go get the guys we need."
He also said the Phillies could use another starting pitcher, a need that’s hard to argue with. Harper isn’t about to take the mound, and even the outfield idea may be a long shot. But the glove in his bag says he’s at least thinking about what Philadelphia might do next.
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Stubbs has spent much of the year in a limited role, but the Phillies clearly wanted him available again as the backup to J.T. Realmuto for the stretch run. For a team trying to keep its catching situation stable, that kind of straightforward roster decision matters, even if it does not answer every question about how much offense Stubbs can provide when he gets his chances. [Read more 🡒]
Phillies May Be Eyeing Another Rotation Gamble Fans Already Dread
The Phillies already made one hard rotation decision when they released Taijuan Walker, and the search for innings has not gotten any easier since. Now another familiar name has popped onto the market in Jameson Taillon, who was designated for assignment by the Cubs after a rough season and is suddenly available for any club willing to take a low-cost look.
For Philadelphia, the appeal is obvious even if the comfort level is not. Taillon has been hit hard this year, carrying a 5.92 ERA in 15 starts while giving up a troubling amount of damage in the air, but the Phillies are also staring at a rotation hole they still need to cover. The question is whether they want to take another gamble on a starter whose recent track record looks a lot like the problem they just tried to move past. [Read more 🡒]