Ever since becoming a member of the Philadelphia Phillies in March 2022, Kyle Schwarber has been an instrumental part of the team. Since his arrival, he leads the Phillies in home runs (131) and RBI (302), ranks second on the team in on base percentage (.344), and represented Philly in the 2022 All-Star game. His leadership in the clubhouse is nothing to scoff at either.
This may be the last year Phillies fans can see Schwarber represent their team however, as the soon-to-be 32-year-old slugger is set to hit free agency following the season.
Phillies-Kyle Schwarber extension update not sounding great
Schwarber expressed his interest in staying in Philadelphia earlier in February, but the two sides have “engaged in broad contract extension talks this spring (subscription required), according to major league sources, but nothing is perceived as imminent,” according to Matt Gelb of The Athletic.
It would be hard to imagine what a potential extension would look like for Schwarber though. The Phillies originally signed him to a four-year, $79 million deal, but the designated hitter is now looking for a raise, according to Phillies Nation’s Destiny Lugardo. Lugardo added that the two-year, $37 million deal that Joc Pederson signed with the Texas Rangers this offseason should serve as the floor for any deal Schwarber may seek.
Former Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. recently went on The Phillies Show podcast to discuss a way the Phillies could keep Schwarber around, if he wanted to.
“If he can do a deal or they can do a deal, a Zack Wheeler-esque type length, right, that’s only three years, or something like that, maybe so,” Amaro said on the podcast. “Otherwise, I think they’ll just wait it out and then see what happens at the end of the year.”
The Phillies are experimenting with Schwarber at first base during spring training to give themselves more lineup flexibility. Not only would this allow Bryce Harper to become the designated hitter more often and keep Alec Bohm over at third base, but it could be another thing to help Schwarber get paid during the offseason.
“I know I’m not going to be here and be the primary first baseman,” Schwarber told Gelb. “If things work out here, that would be awesome [to stay]. But if it doesn’t, it’s always nice to have that in your back pocket. Even though I play DH for this team, there is still a part of me that always wants to be in the field. Right? You just kind of miss that aspect of the game sometimes. Obviously, my role here on the team, I want to be able to produce any way I can for these guys. If I can get guys off their feet, I want to get guys off their feet.”
Schwarber isn’t the only Phillie up for an extension either. Catcher J.T. Realmuto and starting pitcher Ranger Suárez are also set to hit free agency, barring any mid-season contract extensions. However, the only thing Schwarber and the rest of the team want to focus on is winning.
“The best line I’ve ever heard on that is from Jon Lester — the best way to get paid is to win — so I’ll just focus on that,” Schwarber told MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki. “It’s what I’ve always focused on.”
With the city coming off the high that the Eagles Super Bowl win provided, another parade down Broad Street would be a fitting way for Schwarber’s Phillies career to end; if 2025 is the end.
