Philly radio has absolutely unhinged take on Bryce Harper's future with Phillies

Philadelphia Phillies fans are still reeling from the team's latest postseason meltdown and local radio pundits aren't making it any easier for the grieving to move on. After the Phillies' NLDS disappointment last week, both fans and media began calling for change, as is the case in these types of situations.

After two years of Division Series losses, this offseason could bring about more drastic roster movement than we've seen over the last couple of winters. We already know that manager Rob Thomson isn't going anywhere, but almost everyone else should be fair game.

But things got weird on local sports radio on Tuesday, when the talking heads on 94WIP discussed the possibility of the Phillies moving one of their big contracts. And when they say big, they mean big.

Philly radio pundits think the Phillies will try to trade Bryce Harper or Trea Turner this offseason

94WIP's Devan Kaney, who seems to have originally gotten the idea from former Phillies general manager and current part-time broadcaster Ruben Amaro Jr., started with the idea of trading shortstop Trea Turner. As crazy as that sounds, she quickly moved on to the possibility of the Phillies trading first baseman Bryce Harper.

Yes, you read that correctly.

"My initial thought would be Trea Turner ... ," Kaney said. "But it could also be Bryce Harper. Which sounds crazy. This is a player who's really on the back half of his career. He's only getting older. He really hasn't done a ton in the regular season or postseason.

"He hasn't put up the numbers that he’s used to. There's only so many times you can go back to Bedlam at the Bank before it gets a little bit old. And he doesn't add too too much to the clubhouse culturally."

Phillies won't and can't trade either Bryce Harper or Trea Turner

Usually it's the fans who get zealous with their reckless hypothetical trade takes. But if you're sitting there and thinking how bonkers it is to hear both Amaro and Kaney start tossing around the idea of moving Turner or Harper, you're not alone.

First, and most important as we barely hang on to a loosely tethered reality here, both players have full no-trade clauses baked into their contracts. That tends to happen when teams want to lure top-level talent on rich long-term deals.

Turner signed for 11 years, $300 million before the 2023 season. He just had his best season as a Phillie and won the National League batting title. Harper signed for 13 years, $330 million in 2019. Neither player is going anywhere this winter, except for, most likely, a nice vacation or two with their families.

If we suspend reality for just a moment longer and pretend that Harper doesn't have a no-trade clause, moving off him would make it tough to assemble a contending roster again. He's probably a big reason why the Phillies landed other free agents like Kyle Schwarber and Turner. Would Schwarber re-sign knowing Harper is on his way out the door?

If you're looking to make drastic changes, looking at the three-time MVP isn't the answer. Sure, he's been through the wringer with some random injuries over the last few seasons. And sure, he's going into his age-33 season next year. While his MVP days are likely behind him, he still has something left to give.

He hit .261 with an .844 OPS, with 27 home runs and 75 RBIs in 132 games this season, all numbers the Phillies would like to see improve in 2026. But he was still more impactful than most MLB players.

In a "down" year, his 131 wRC+ was tied for the 18th highest in the majors and ranked seventh among first basemen. He had the fourth-highest fWAR among first basemen.

It's true that the big bats of Turner, Harper and Schwarber didn't show up in three of the four NLDS games. However, with Schwarber heading to free agency and maybe not returning, somehow trading one of the other two wouldn't help improve a 96-win team.

If you're looking for big contracts to move that could actually benefit the team, both on the field and financially, take a gander at Nick Castellanos' $20 million next year. Or Taijuan Walker's $18 million. Both players are heading into their final season with the Phillies in 2026 but could see themselves moved before then.