Columnist Wonders if Philadelphia Phillies Could Move Bryce Harper Back to Outfield

Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer is suggesting that maybe the Philadelphia Phillies should look to move Bryce Harper off first base.

Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper (3) hits a double in the sixth inning against the New York Mets in game four of the NLDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Citi Field on Oct 9. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies are on record as saying that they don't want to move former MVP Bryce Harper off first base and back to the outfield.

However, Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer is wondering if they should.

Harper’s bat — .898 OPS last season, .911 for his career — plays at all positions. But given the landscape of outfield offense and the class of free-agent first basemen (Pete Alonso, Christian Walker, even Paul Goldschmidt on a potential one-year deal) and possible trade candidates (Tampa Bay’s Yandy Díaz, Cleveland’s Josh Naylor, Boston’s Triston Casas, and Texas’ Nathaniel Lowe), a case can be made that Harper is even more valuable in the outfield, at least in 2025.

That all might be true, but the team likely doesn't want to yo-yo it's most important player, especially at the age of 32. The team also wants to keep Harper and his surgically repaired elbow healthy, so playing first base and limiting his throws are certainly a way to do that.

Harper is coming off a season in which he hit .285 with 30 homers as the Phillies won the National League East. One of the best players of his generation, Harper is a two-time MVP, a four-time Silver Slugger and an eight-time All-Star.

Harper is a .281 hitter lifetime with 336 home runs. He just finished his 13th year in the big leagues with the Nationals and Phillies.

The Phillies were eliminated in the National League Division Series by the New York Mets, who went onto lose to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS.

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