According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Phillies attempted to sign Kyle Schwarber to an agreement during the summer. Given his early swing and the startling dearth of elite free agents in the class of next year, the Phillies may come to regret not completing the deal.
Schwarber is batting .288 with six home runs, 12 RBIs and a 1.114 OPS through his first 64 plate appearances. It’s early, but Schwarber is building on tweaks from last year that made him a more well-rounded hitter. Against left-handed pitching, he has three home runs and an absurd 9-for-18 record. In 20.3% of his plate appearances, he has struck out. It would be his career’s lowest strikeout rate by seven points if that figure holds true. His reputation as a “three true outcomes” hitter has faded.
Although Schwarber has stated time and time again that he would like to sign a new contract with the Phillies, Rosenthal noted in his article that Schwarber is also happy to play out his free agent year.
He might receive a sizable prize for his patience.
With Vladimir Guerrero Jr. off the market after signing a 14-year, $500 million extension with the Toronto Blue Jays, Kyle Tucker, an outfielder, will be the top free agent next year. Other than Tucker, there aren’t many bats of Schwarber’s caliber available on the market; Alex Bregman and Pete Alonso can opt out of their contracts, and Marcell Ozuna, the Braves’ DH, is also a free agent, but he will be 35 years old.
He is still taking fly balls in the outfield and remaining ready at first base, but being a DH exclusively will affect him. However, a strong platform year coupled with scarcity might raise Schwarber’s price.
The bare least for Schwarber should be the two-year, $37 million contract that Joe Pederson signed with the Texas Rangers. Pederson works as a DH. In contrast with Schwarber, he is likewise a platoon bat. This season, he has only made three plate appearances against left-handed pitchers.
Schwarber has become indispensable for the Phillies on the field and in the clubhouse, and it will be interesting to see how the two sides handle his free agency after this year. Since 2022, only Aaron Judge has hit more home runs than Schwarber, and you have to wonder if his next deal could surpass the $79 million in total value he received from the Phillies prior to that season.
