Phillies not interested in moving Bryce Harper back to outfield: ‘He’s a really good first baseman’

Could Bryce Harper move back to right field? It’s possible, but the Phillies prefer to keep him at first base.

“I think Bryce is a first baseman at this time,” president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said on Thursday at the club’s end-of-season press conference at Citizens Bank Park. “That’s what we look at him as.”

When Pete Alonso lingered on the free agent market last offseason, Harper reportedly reiterated to the Phillies and his agent Scott Boras (who also represents Alonso) that he would be “more than open” to moving back to the outfield.

“But I’d go out there to have a guy who was going to play first base and hit 35 or 40 homers,” Harper told The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal. Alonso is a free agent again this offseason.

Harper again was willing to switch positions near the trade deadline if the opportunity presented itself. It would have been a short-term fix for a Phillies offense that desperately needed more right-handed thump in the lineup. Harper’s long-term preference is to remain at first base.

“He has asked to go out to the outfield,” Dombrowski said. “He’d be willing to do so, but I think it would be more for the short term if we had done something at the trading deadline. But it’s been a while since he’s been out (there). I’m sure he’d be fine, but he’s a really good first baseman and that’s the position we looked at him playing for us.”

Harper in 2025 was nominated as a Gold Glove finalist at first base for a second consecutive season. He originally made the switch in the middle of 2023 to expedite his return to the field after undergoing Tommy John surgery after the 2022 postseason. With Rhys Hoskins becoming a free agent after 2023, the Phillies declared Harper as the club’s everyday first baseman in 2024. He last played right field on April 16, 2022.

The Phillies are likely to sign or trade for at least one outfielder this offseason. Top outfield prospect Justin Crawford is a strong candidate to break camp with the club. Harrison Bader was identified as one of the club’s four priority free agents the Phillies would like to retain. Brandon Marsh is under team control for another two seasons. If he’s not traded, he could open the season at any of the three outfield spots. Nick Castellanos, who has one year and $20 million left on his contract, is likely to be traded or released, The Athletic’s Matt Gelb reported.

Harper finished second on the Phillies and 11th in the National League among qualified hitters with an .844 OPS. It’s his lowest OPS in a full season since signing with the team in 2019. It was a great, but not elite season from the Phillies superstar.

The Phillies would love to have the best version of Harper again in 2026.

“I don’t think he’s content with the year that he had,” Dombrowski said. “And again, it wasn’t a bad year, but when I think of Bryce Harper, you’d think elite, right? You’re thinking one of the top 10 players in baseball, and I don’t think it fit into that category.”