Schwarber re-signs with Phillies as free-agent logjam appears ready to burst
Kyle Schwarber’s free agency was seen as one of the major dominoes that needed to fall in order for this MLB off-season to start moving, and on Tuesday morning, there was resolution.
The Philadelphia Phillies retained the slugger with a massive contract that keeps him in the fold for the next five years and sent shockwaves through MLB’s Winter Meetings in Orlando.
Here’s a closer examination of the deal and the ripple effects it should create.
The deal:
Kyle Schwarber reportedly agrees to a five-year, $150-million deal with the Phillies.
The runners up:
Schwarber was coveted by several clubs, and rightfully so. The left-handed masher is a difference-making presence in both the lineup and the clubhouse. The Pittsburgh Pirates and the Cincinnati Reds both made offers to Schwarber, as did the Baltimore Orioles, who surprisingly matched the Phillies’ offer of five years and $150 million, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
The player:
Schwarber has developed into one of baseball’s preeminent sluggers. He doesn’t play much defence and is essentially a full-time designated hitter, but that doesn’t matter much. Schwarber mashes and he does that with the very best.
The former first-round pick began his career with the Chicago Cubs and helped the club end its longstanding championship drought by winning a World Series in 2016. He signed as a free agent with the Washington Nationals in 2021 and was traded to Boston mid-season before he eventually signed a four-year, $79-million deal with the Phillies in March of 2022.
That was quite simply a bargain for the organization.
Over his four seasons in Philadelphia, Schwarber has averaged 46.8 home runs, 106.5 walks and 108.5 RBIs with an .856 OPS and 134 OPS-plus. His 187 homers over that span are second to only Aaron Judge (210), while his 15.2 per cent walk rate ranked fourth and his 41.9 per cent hard-hit rate sat sixth.
Schwarber’s offensive profile on Baseball Savant is filled with red, indicating that many of his advanced metrics are in the very top percentile of big leaguers. However, as good as he is with the stick, Schwarber was perhaps equally sought after because of his leadership.
The fit:
Schwarber and superstar Bryce Harper are the symbolic heart and soul of this era of the Phillies. The organization hasn’t won a title since 2008, and while its current roster is aging, the club made sure it wasn’t going to allow Schwarber to leave, a move that would have undoubtedly impacted the team’s chances of contending for a ring in 2026.
Players inside the Phillies clubhouse knew that and it’s probably why Harper has on several occasions offered impassioned pleas for the organization to retain Schwarber, who’s built a reputation as a strong leader.
“I was talking to somebody the other day,” Harper told MLB.com in May. “And I was like, ‘Man, it would be weird not to have [Schwarber] in our clubhouse.’ He’s such a good leader. He’s such a good person in the community. Great family, great person. I think he’s a guy that obviously our team can build around.
“Obviously, he’s going to make a lot of money [as a free agent]. He’s going to be a very hot commodity on the market. He’s a guy that hits homers. He’s a great clubhouse guy and a leader. I hope he doesn’t get [to free agency]. He’s a guy that we can use for the next few years.”
Schwarber turns 33 in March and all signs point to him continuing to produce well into the future. He’s actually become a better hitter as he’s entered his 30s and his short swing, good eye and strong contact metrics could help him age well.
Schwarber won’t have to worry at all about playing defence and so, if you squint, it’s not hard to see the latter stages of his career resembling something like that of David Ortiz.
The market:
MLB Trade Rumors predicted a five-year, $135-million deal for Schwarber. He nailed the term while earning an additional $20 million, likely the result of the Orioles driving up the price for the Phillies.
The next domino:
The markets for several prominent players should now take greater shape. Outfielder Kyle Tucker, the best all-around position player on the board, could gain increased attention from teams searching for major impact, while the same goes for infielder Bo Bichette. First baseman Pete Alonso and his power-over-defence skillset are similar to Schwarber’s, only he’ll be more affordable, a fact that could entice teams such as the Pirates and Reds.
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