The Philadelphia Phillies enter MLB Free Agency with one mission that overshadows every other storyline: keep Kyle Schwarber. The Cincinnati Reds want him and the market wants him as well. Yet the momentum still circles back to the Phillies and the familiar power that defined the Schwarber era. The Reds have made their intentions clear, staging a full campaign to lure the 2016 World Series Champion and three-time All-Star home. But the Phillies keeps holding the stronger cards.
Kyle Schwarber’s profile only raises the stakes. He has won the NL home run title twice. For one, he hit four home runs in a single game on Aug. 28, 2025. After the season, he finished second in NL MVP voting behind Shohei Ohtani, who won unanimously. Then came his 2025 numbers were historic: a .240/.365/.563 slash line with 56 home runs, 132 RBI, and even 10 stolen bases. Players with that output don’t walk for free. They get chased. Teams court them. And most importantly, clubs prioritize them.
The Reds’ push vs. the Phillies' confidence
The Reds made their pitch in public and in symbolism. To start, they invited Schwarber, his father, and his youth coach to throw out ceremonial first pitches during the Phillies’ August visit to Great American Ballpark. Clearly, that wasn’t random kindness. That was strategy. That was the Reds saying, we want you home.
Meanwhile, other contenders, the Red Sox, Mets, and Orioles, hover around the edges. Even so, inside league circles, one belief keeps rising above the noise. “I’d be shocked if Schwarber doesn’t re-sign in Philly,” one GM said. “Dave Dombrowski knows how much he means to that club and won’t let him go.”
Much of the buzz surrounding the Phillies this MLB Free Agency revolves around keeping Kyle Schwarber and possibly J.T. Realmuto. And now, as the days turn tense under the Winter Meetings lights, one question grows sharper: if Philadelphia truly pushes its chips in, does anyone — even the Reds — have the power to stop them?
