Kyle SchwarberFree agency was seen as one of the major dominoes that had to fall for this MLB offseason to get moving, and on Tuesday morning the decision was made.
Philadelphia Phillies retained the slugger with a massive contract that will keep him in the lineup for the next five years and caused a shock at the MLB Winter Meetings in Orlando.
Here's a closer look at the deal and the ripple effects it should create.
Kyle Schwarber reportedly agrees to a five-year, $150 million contract with the Phillies.
Schwarber was wanted by several clubs, and rightfully so. The left-handed masher plays an important role both in the lineup and in the clubhouse. The Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds made offers to Schwarber, as did the Baltimore Orioles, who unexpectedly matched the Phillies' offer of five years and $150 million. according to Ken Rosenthal of Athletic.
Schwarber developed into one of baseball's preeminent sluggers. He doesn't play much defense and is essentially a full-time forward, but that doesn't really matter. Schwarber does a great job and does it better than anyone.
The former first-round pick began his career with the Chicago Cubs and helped the club end a multi-year championship drought by winning the World Series in 2016. He signed with the Washington Nationals as a free agent in 2021 and was traded to Boston midseason before eventually signing a four-year, $79 million deal with the Phillies in March 2022.
It was simply a good deal for the organization.
In four seasons in Philadelphia, Schwarber 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 trail only Aaron Judge (210), while his 15.2 percent walk rate ranked fourth and his 41.9 percent slugging rate ranked sixth.
Schwarber's offensive profile on Baseball Savant filled in red, indicating that many of his advanced stats are in the top percentile among major league players. However, as good a stickhandler as he was, Schwarber was perhaps equally in demand for his leadership.
Schwarber and superstar Bryce Harper are the symbolic heart and soul of this era of Phillies. The organization hasn't won a title since 2008, and while its current roster is aging, the club has made sure to not allow Schwarber to leave, which would undoubtedly impact the team's chances of contending for a ring in 2026.
The Phillies players knew this, which is probably why Harper made several impassioned pleas to the organization to retain Schwarber, who had earned a reputation as a strong leader.
“I was talking to someone the other day” Harper told MLB.com in May. “And I thought, 'Man, it would be weird not to have [Schwarber] in our club.” He's such a good leader. He is such a good person in society. Great family, wonderful person. I think he's a guy that we can obviously build our team around.
“Obviously he's going to make a lot of money. [as a free agent]. It will be a very hot commodity on the market. He's a guy who hits homers. He's a great club guy and leader. I hope he doesn't get it [to free agency]. He's a guy we can use over the next few years.”
Schwarber will turn 33 in March, and all signs point to him continuing to excel in the future. In fact, he has become a better hitter since turning 30, and his short swing, good eye and strong contact numbers could help him age well.
Schwarber won't have to worry about playing defense at all, so if you look closely, it's not hard to see that the latter stages of his career resemble something like David Ortiz's.
MLB Trade Rumors predicted a five-year, $135 million deal for Schwarber. He complied, earning an additional $20 million, likely as a result of the Orioles raising their price on the Phillies.
The markets of several established players should now take a clearer shape. Outfielder Kyle Tucker, the best all-around position player on the board, could get increased attention from teams looking for major impact, while the same goes for infielder Bo Bichette. First baseman Pete Alonso and his skillset of dominating defenses are similar to Schwarber's, only he will be more accessible, a fact that could attract teams like the Pirates and Reds.
