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Bryce Harper has an old glove with him on the Philadelphia Phillies' current road trip.
To be more specific: The Phillies' first baseman has his outfield glove in his bag, in case he needs to go out on the grass for some games.
Why? Because Harper is speculating that Philadelphia might trade for a first baseman.
“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 after sustaining a ligament injury to his right (throwing) elbow.
The Athletic's Matt Gelb did pour some cold water on the idea in an article about the potential for the position change, writing this:
"Even if the Phillies were more open to flipping Harper’s position during the season, the trade market isn’t teeming with difference-making first basemen. They could call the Houston Astros, who remain in contention, about Christian Walker. But Walker, who is having a decent season, is signed through 2027. Harper’s change would have to be more than temporary. That is not likely."
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Harper did admit later in his comments that he's reached this conclusion by himself, not with internal insights to the front office's plans.
“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."
Harper went on to express to reporters that the Phillies could use another starting pitcher, which is certainly true.
You definitely won't see Harper stepping on the mound anytime soon, and while the outfield is a possibility, it might also be unlikely, as well. That won't stop Harper from hoping the Phillies make some kind of upgrade.
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