Kyle Schwarber is, without a doubt, a hot baseball commodity in MLB free agency. After a stellar 2025 season with the Philadelphia Phillies, teams are understandably interested in having his bat in their offense — the Phillies included.
Should a Phillies reunion fall through, Schwarber still has several appealing destinations. One surprising team is reportedly in the mix, and it's in the form of the Pittsburgh Pirates, as mentioned by Jeff Passan of ESPN.
Wrote Passan: “The demand for Schwarber is high, which is no surprise considering he won't get more than a five-year deal because of his age and positional inflexibility as a full-time designated hitter. Of course, when you hit like Schwarber, neither age nor position matters. Teams have made that abundantly clear, all the way from the obvious suitors (the Philadelphia Phillies are fiending to re-sign him) and the not-so-obvious (yes, Pittsburgh is in on Schwarber as well).”
Although the Pirates don't seem to be a tantalizing landing spot for anyone who's in pursuit of a World Series, Pittsburgh could let the money do the talking to lure a major free agent like Schwarber to sign with the team. The Pirates are coming off a 71-win season in 2024, and they have not been to the MLB postseason in a decade, as they last clinched a playoff spot in 2015.
Schwarber, who will be 33 years old by the time the 2026 MLB season arrives, hit .240/.365/.563 and led the National League with 56 home runs and paced the big leagues with 132 RBIs in 2025. He also posted a career-best 4.7 bWAR last season, while earning his third All-Star nod.
