There's trouble brewing between the Phillies and Cubs fans' one that got away

Chicago Cubs fans will always wonder 'what might have been' when it comes to Bryce Harper and the team's refusal to make a serious run at the superstar following the 2018 season.

Obviously, he didn't wind up with the Cubs, signing a 13-year, $330 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies - and it's been a deal that's worked well for both sides. During his seven years with Philadelphia, Harper has an MVP award, three Silver Sluggers and a pair of All-Star selections to his credit - not to mention a .912 OPS.

So when Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski seemingly put Harper on blast in offseason comments, it caught pretty much the entire baseball world off-guard.

"He's still a quality player. He's still an All-Star-caliber player," Dombrowski said last October. "He didn't have an elite season like he's had in the past. I guess we only find out if he becomes elite or he continues to be good."

Bryce Harper weighs in on Dave Dombrowski's end-of-season comments

Naturally, after reporting to Phillies camp in Clearwater this week, Dombrowski's comments were once again front and center when Harper spoke with the media. The two-time MVP spoke about the remarks

"I don't get motivated by that kind of stuff. For me, it was kind of wild the whole situation of that happening," Harper said on Sunday. "I think the big thing for me was when we first met with this organization, it was, 'Hey we're always going to keep things in-house, and we expect you to do the same thing.' So, when that didn't happen, it kind of took me for a run a little bit, so I don't know. It's part of it, I guess. It was kind of a wild situation."

The Phillies have repeatedly come up short in their quest to bring another title to Philly, despite a core that features Harper, Kyle Schwarber, JT Realmuto and Trea Turner. Last season was marred by an injury to Harper and drama around the recently-released Nick Castellanos - so capping it with controversial remarks from Dombrowski was hardly the end the team needed after another disappointing result.

Harper is likely headed to Cooperstown - but despite an impressive personal resume, is yet to win a World Series. He's never been someone who needs to be motivated by anyone other than himself. That being said, there's no doubt Dombrowski's comments will be in the back of his mind as he looks to get back on track and lead his team to new heights in 2026.