It was another lost season for Bryce Harper and the Philadelphia Phillies, who may be facing a pivotal offseason following an early exit from the 2026 MLB playoffs.
The Phillies are out of World Series contention after losing Game 3 of their National League Series Wild Card Series against the Atlanta Braves on Thursday at Truist Park in Atlanta, Ga., 6-2.
Like most other teams that have already been eliminated, the Phillies now face the question of what’s next.
“Each year’s so different than the year before. I don’t really put stock into years before or what happened or anything else,” Harper said when asked if he was worried about the closing window of the Phillies because of Father Time, via NBC Sports Philadelphia.
The two-time NL MVP then hinted at the potential big changes coming for the Phillies before the 2027 campaign.
“This was a brand new team. Obviously, we had the guys that are part of that core group that we are,” Harper continued.
“I’d imagine this team is going to look a lot different next year with the guys that are leaving this clubhouse. So, we’ll see.”
Harper is unlikely to go somewhere else, as he is still under contract with Philadelphia through 2031, but th same can’t be said about the likes of Alec Bohm, Jose Alvarado, Luis Arreaz and Emundo Sosa, who are all pending free agents.
In any case, it is going to be a long offseason for Philadelphia, which finished second in the NL East with an 88-74 record — the team’s worst since going 87-75 in 2022, when, interestingly enough, the Phillies made the World Series and lost to the Houston Astros.
