The Philadelphia Phillies made the first big splash of the Winter Meetings, signing NL MVP runner-up Kyle Schwarber. There were many teams in the Schwarber sweepstakes, including his hometown Cincinnati Reds. But the Baltimore Orioles were the ones who forced the Phillies to level up their Schwarber offer. The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal has more on the race for the lefty.
“The Baltimore Orioles’ failure to land Kyle Schwarber wasn’t for lack of trying. Their proposal to the free-agent designated hitter signaled how serious they are about spending big this offseason. The Orioles offered Schwarber the same five-year, $150 million contract he agreed to Tuesday with the Philadelphia Phillies, according to people briefed on the negotiations,” Rosenthal reported.
The Orioles have new ownership and a need to improve after a disappointing 2025 campaign. They lost Corbin Burnes last year and have now swung and missed on a top target. The Orioles could still use a starting pitcher, with Framber Valdez and Tatsuya Imai out there, and want to improve the offense.
The Phillies clearly had an advantage in the Schwarber sweepstakes, according to this reporting. If they did not, Schwarber may be an Oriole thanks to their desire to get up to $150 million. But the Phillies were willing to match, which landed him back in South Philly.
The Orioles already added Taylor Ward to their outfield, so their concentration will likely be in the infield. Pete Alonso would fill the power hole left by Anthony Santander, but there haven't been a lot of rumors connecting him to the Birds. They seem to be in on Valdez, which would finally fill the ace role and create a solid 1-2 punch with Trevor Rogers.
David Rubenstein is the new owner of the Orioles and has to start spending like a big-market owner. The Gunnar Henderson-Adley Rutschman window is open, and this is the winter to spend.
