Hours after the Phillies' Wild Card exit, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal wrote that Dave Dombrowski and John Middleton "need to kick around the idea" of trading Bryce Harper (or Kyle Schwarber?), floating the Yankees, Red Sox, and a long-shot Athletics as landing spots for the Vegas native. Harper has a no-trade clause and five years left on his contract, so any deal will require Harper’s approval, and likely command an extension to sweeten things. It's speculative, but worth playing out — at least, for fun.
Start with what's walking out the door. Harper has 392 career home runs, 1,956 hits, two NL MVPs, and an NLCS MVP for the homer that sent this Philly franchise back to a World Series. He's eight home runs from 400 and 44 hits from 2,000, with realistic runs at 500 and 2,500 before this contract expires. So if I'm Dombrowski, I don't pick up the phone unless the offer starts with an established major leaguer with prospects being the add-ons, not the centerpiece.
The reason is simple: this wouldn't be a salary dump or a teardown. Philadelphia would still be chasing a World Series with a bullpen that failed in October, an aging core, and batting champion Luis Arraez headed to free agency. Trading an icon would be its own kind of reset, aimed at a younger, more dynamic roster and a different clubhouse personality, but it would require immediate return, not a top prospect who helps in 2028 and beyond. Here's what each suitor's offer could look like.
Bryce Harper trade packages from Red Sox, Yankees, A's that could help Phillies
Red Sox: Boston may be the most complete fit, and it starts with Ceddanne Rafaela, in my opinion. The 26-year-old is a first-time All-Star and 2025 Gold Glove center fielder who hit .283 with 16 homers, 70 RBI and 17 steals this year. He's signed through 2031 on an eight-year, $50 million deal, with a 2032 club option. That's an MLB résumé, upside, and cost certainty with one right-handed bat. To make Dombrowski listen, Boston would likely have to sweeten it with Franklin Arias, its 20-year-old top prospect, as the long-term piece (also just about major leauge-ready), and maybe someone like Tanner Houck — a buy-low arm coming off Tommy John surgery. And since Boston has outfield depth to spare, there's a fallback: if the Red Sox won't move Rafaela, the ask becomes Wilyer Abreu, a two-time Gold Glove right fielder with 24 homers this year, ahead of Jarren Duran, whose .627 OPS was a step back from solid 2024 and 2025 seasons.
Final trade: Harper to Boston for Ceddanne Rafaela, Franklin Arias, and Tanner Houck.
Yankees: New York's likely best match and anchor to the trade is Cody Bellinger, a left-handed bat who hit 29 homers last year, won this season's All-Star Game MVP, and plays first base or the outfield, so he'd slide right into the lineup spot Harper leaves behind. His contract is the wrinkle: $162.5 million through 2030, a full no-trade clause, and opt-outs after 2027 and 2028, so he'd have to approve the deal too (although he has the same agent, Scott Boras, as Harper, so that could help). From there, New York has to sell Dombrowski on the future. Anthony Volpe and Jasson Domínguez, two former top prospects who never locked down big-league roles, are change-of-scenery bets, not centerpieces. Will Warren adds a controllable arm, and Dax Kilby, the 19-year-old shortstop and No. 2 prospect in the system, is the add-on that makes the call worth taking.
Final trade: Harper to New York for Cody Bellinger, Anthony Volpe or Jasson Domínguez, plus Will Warren and Dax Kilby.
Athletics: The sentimental fit is with the Athletics and Harper going home to Las Vegas. Ideally, Philadelphia would ask for Nick Kurtz, the budding superstar first baseman, or Jacob Wilson, their All-Star shortstop, but both anchor the A’s long-term core, so a more realistic starting point is Zack Gelof. The right-handed infielder offers the power and speed this roster could use, with 22 homers, 16 steals, and a 116 OPS+ this year, including eight homers in September. The bullpen is where Elvis Alvarado comes in. He's a physically imposing 6-foot-6, 253-pound righty whose fastball tops out above 102 mph, and his four-seamer's called-strike-plus-whiff rate sits in the 88th percentile, though the walks need work. For depth, the package adds Jack Perkins, a swingman who can start or relieve (131 strikeouts in 116 innings despite a 5.90 ERA), and/or Luis Morales, a recently debuted starter whose front-of-the-rotation ceiling supplies the upside.
Final trade: Harper to the Athletics for Zack Gelof, Elvis Alvarado, Jack Perkins, and/or Luis Morales.
None of this happens without Harper waiving his no-trade clause and agreeing to an extension. Scott Boras would have to work some magic with his players, and convince owners and GMs this trade is good for each side. But if Philadelphia is going to move on from everything he's built here, the return has to help win in 2027, and one of these three teams may have the pieces to do it.
Add us as a preferred source on Google