Phillies won’t move Bryce Harper even to sign free agent slugger at first base

The Philadelphia Phillies have made many daring moves in the past to help maximize the team’s chances of winning. Whether it was opening up the vault to sign big-name free agents such as Bryce Harper or Trea Turner or making significant roster moves such as moving Kyle Schwarber into the designated hitter’s role to help improve the overall defense, the Phillies weren’t shy in taking risks to make the team better.

However, one thing that the Phillies have remained adamant about as of this moment is the fact that they won’t be moving Harper off of first base, at any cost. According to MLB insider Jon Heyman, the Phillies are unlikely to move Harper back to the outfield, even if it involves the pursuit of one of the top power-hitting free agents in slugger Pete Alonso. That is because the Phillies believe that Harper has transitioned superbly into his role at first base.

Phillies won’t move Bryce Harper even to sign free agent slugger at first base

Originally, as Harper was coming off Tommy John surgery, the Phillies made the positional move to help lessen the burden on his throwing arm as he slowly got back into game shape. However, after the great work he has done growing into the new role, it was sufficient enough to convince the Phillies’ brass to keep him at first going forward.

After all, Harper has made only six errors in total for a sparkling .996 fielding percentage, along with 6 DRS in 1,534 2/3 innings since the transition to first base. In fact, he has progressed so much in his fielding from the position that he was even named one of the finalists for the Gold Glove Award for NL first baseman this past year. 

As for Alonso, there’s no doubt he could be a huge difference-maker, especially on offense, for any potential contender. Just taking a look at his track record, the former NL Rookie of the Year has posted four consecutive 30+ home runs and 88+ RBI seasons, along with being named an All-Star on four separate occasions as well.

More importantly, he played a key role in the New York Mets’ surprising postseason run in 2024, batting a solid .273 with a .999 OPS, along with 10 runs scored, four home runs and 10 RBI in just 13 playoff games, showing that he could come through as a reliable contributor on the biggest stage.

With Alonso having only played at first base throughout his MLB career and Harper and Schwarber firmly occupying first base and the DH spot, respectively, for the Phillies, it all but shuts down any chance of the 29-year-old slugger joining Philadelphia this offseason.

The Phillies didn’t move Harper back then when Rhys Hoskins was in play, so it’s not likely they will deviate from their plan with Alonso. Hopefully the decision made by the Phillies won’t somehow come back to haunt them down the road.

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