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The longtime relationship between first baseman Bryce Harper and the Philadelphia Phillies could be nearing an end.
Amid their terrible start to the 2026 season, the Phillies already fired manager Rob Thomson before May.
On Wednesday, Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski stated that he's already had trade conversations with other clubs. Might that include Harper, whose contract includes a no-trade clause?
"All this makes it hard not to wonder if the Phillies will end up cutting their losses in a summer fire sale," Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer wrote Friday. "And after the whole debate about whether he's elite, a change of scenery for Harper might end up being the best thing for everyone."
Rymer listed five potential landing spots for the two-time MVP, but the Detroit Tigers are the club that could make the most sense.
"[Tarik] Skubal and co-ace Framber Valdez are doing their job so far, yet this is the second year in a row that the offense has felt merely solid," Rymer wrote about the Tigers. "It has an ascendant rookie in Kevin McGonigle and solid individual pieces like Riley Greene and Kerry Carpenter, but it needs a big bopper in the middle of the order."
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Harper, who has four consecutive seasons with an OPS of .844 or higher, could be Detroit's "bopper".
"With prospects like Max Clark, Bryce Rainer, and Josue Briceño to throw around in trade negotiations, the Tigers are a team that might be able to get the Phillies to listen," Rymer added.
Of course, Harper must be on board with the idea for a trade to go through.
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