The Philadelphia Phillies won the NL East once more during the 2025 season, although it did not bear much fruit once again in the postseason. They received a bye to the NLDS, but due to some poor luck from the seeding gods, they ran into the reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. For the second consecutive year, the Phillies were bounced by a Wild Card team, and they must now head back to the drawing board in their quest to get over the hump.
One thing's for sure, however: the Phillies have to bring back Kyle Schwarber, who's slated to enter free agency come season's end. Schwarber was their best hitter last season, as he's done nothing but rake ever since signing with Philly prior to the start of the 2022 season.
Despite already being 32 years of age, Schwarber achieved his best season yet as a pro in 2025, hitting 56 home runs and driving in 132 runs for the Phillies. The National League's decision to adopt the DH rule has enabled Schwarber to be his best self, as he need not worry about catching fly balls in left field and being a bit of a liability on that end of the field.
But of course, many teams will be looking to get Schwarber to sign on the dotted line. He will be a hot commodity in free agency, although Schwarber has said in the past that he would love to re-sign with the Phillies.
However, his age means that this might be his last shot to sign a big money contract. He is entering free agency at the perfect time, and the Phillies will have no choice but to pony up the cash if they want to keep the slugger for the long haul.
Phillies must sign Kyle Schwarber to a four-year, $160 million deal
Some experts are projecting Schwarber to sign a five-year, $160 million deal, giving him a contract worth $32 million per season. Schwarber does not provide any defensive value whatsoever, so any team that signs him will be hoping that he replicates his 2025 season, or is at least as productive as his 2024 season for the duration of his contract.
Of course, there are risks involved in signing Schwarber to a big-money deal. His age should go without saying. He's on the wrong side of the aging curve, and his body type doesn't exactly lend much confidence that he'll be aging gracefully. A sharp decline is very much possible, and any decline from him at the plate would make him an albatross on any team's payroll.
Schwarber has also tallied 9.2 fWAR over the past two seasons; in his previous six seasons combined, he only recorded 8.6 fWAR. That should be a red flag for potential suitors. These past two seasons are the outlier in his career, not the norm, and inking him to a huge deal would suggest that the belief that his normal performance level from here on out is closer to the past two seasons than most of his career.
His track record would suggest that a repeat of last year's 56 home runs and 132 runs batted in is very unlikely. But the free-agent market almost always pays for power production, and the Phillies will have to get on with the program.
But to mitigate the risk involved in signing Schwarber to a huge contract, the Phillies should opt to entice the slugger to sign a shorter-term contract and just making up for it by increasing the average annual value on his deal.
Signing him to a four-year, $160 million contract makes sure that the Phillies lineup is ensured of some power production heading into the 2025 season. Only two Phillies hitters crossed the 20 home-run mark last season, with only Bryce Harper joining Schwarber on that list. Now, the long ball isn't the be-all end-all of any MLB team's offense, but it sure does help.
Schwarber also was the sixth-best hitter in MLB last season according to wRC+, and he was an iron man last year, playing 162 games. The Phillies may not have made the postseason if it weren't for him.
With the market looking likely to reward Schwarber's best season with a huge contract in free agency that could total up to $160 million, the Phillies have to pay whatever the highest bidder is willing to — but on a shorter-term deal. Considering how the working relationship between these two parties are, Philly can promise to take care of him once his contract expires and sign him to another huge deal if he manages to remain productive until 2029.
Thus, a four-year, $160 million deal is the perfect contract that the Phillies must offer Schwarber.
