The Philadelphia Phillies locked up one of the hottest free agents on the Major League Baseball market Tuesday. Slugger Kyle Schwarber decided to stay in Philadelphia, agreeing to a five-year, $150 million contract. It now appears that Schwarber could have received the exact same amount if he had gone to the Baltimore Orioles, per The Athletic.
A few other teams were also right behind with their offers for the veteran.
“The Cincinnati Reds also offered Schwarber five years, but their proposal was in the $125 million range, with room to grow. The Pittsburgh Pirates were at four years and $120 million. The amounts of any other offers Schwarber received are not known,” Ken Rosenthal wrote.
Schwarber also received interest from the New York Mets and the Boston Red Sox, according to multiple news reports. It was believed for quite awhile though that the Phillies had the inside track on re-signing the free agent.
In the 2025 regular season, Schwarber hit 56 home runs and drove in 132 runs.
Phillies hope to win a World Series with Kyle Schwarber
Philadelphia won the National League East in 2025, with Schwarber leading the way on offense. The Phillies ended up going to the NLDS before losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Phillies are expected to try and keep as much of their roster together as possible, heading into 2026. The goal is to win another World Series.
“Now the attention turns to catcher J.T. Realmuto. (Phillies president of baseball operations Dave) Dombrowski expressed optimism that Realmuto could return as well. If Realmuto signs, the Phillies still figure to tweak the lineup, possibly by trading talent from the 26-man roster,” Todd Zolecki wrote for MLB.com.
Time will tell if the Phillies can keep these assets together. Philadelphia is expected to be pushed once again in the NL East by the New York Mets, who stumbled down the stretch of the 2025 season. New York ended up missing the playoffs, despite leading the division at the start of the campaign.
Philadelphia last won the Fall Classic in 2008, with the club's last National League pennant coming in 2022.
