The Philadelphia Phillies and their connection with their franchise superstar Bryce Harper has been fraying this offseason, with GM Dave Dombrowski hurting Harper’s value one day at a time. Now, Harper at some point could be done with Philly, and request a trade.
Fansided’s Mark Powell proposes that if that happens, the Phillies should try to swing a deal with their neighbors in Pennsylvania, the Pittsburgh Pirates, for the MLB’s top prospect in Konnor Griffin. While it’s highly unlikely, both teams would check off some major boxes.“Bryce Harper is not elite, at least if you ask Dave Dombrowski. The Phillies president of baseball operations took the better part of the MLB offseason hurting one of his best player’s trade value. Harper wasn’t happy, and called out Dombrowski in public. You can probably guess who Phillies fans sided with, and it wasn’t the front office. Harper playing in Pittsburgh would be a strange fit. But the Pirates don’t have many bats. Harper can play corner outfield or first base. Cherington needs both of these, despite signing Ryan O’Hearn and trading for Jhostynxon Garcia,” Powell wrote.
The Phillies would lose their franchise star, but would get a generational prospect in return. So far in Spring Training, Griffin is slashing .214/.267/.857/.1.124 with three hits, all home runs, for six RBI. In 2025, Griffin started in low A and ended in AA, where he slashed .333/.415/.527/.941 with 23 doubles, 21 home runs, 94 RBI, and 65 stolen bases in 122 games. Griffin would also immensely lower their payroll, as his latest contract update is for a 10-year, $130 million deal, and that’s even if the Phillies want to extend him this early.
However, Powell does note that the Pirates wouldn’t consider this for two reasons: Harper’s contract, and giving away the top prospect in baseball to play on the other side of their state. If the Phillies can find a way to overcome those obstacles, this might be a gut punch of a deal to fans, but still worth it.
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