Jason Burgos
Philadelphia Phillies MVP candidate Kyle Schwarber is expected to get “paid, paid” this offseason, and one MLB expert believes six contending teams will be involved in his free agent sweepstakes.
Designated hitter Kyle Schwarber has, arguably, been the Phillies’ best hitter the last four seasons. And just like so many players before him, he is having the best season of his career just in time for a jump into MLB free agency. Due to his monster season, ESPN’s Jeff Passan believes the slugger will land a massive deal this winter, and it could be from a contending team from another city.
“Because of all he brings, Schwarber is going to get paid. Like, paid paid,” Passan wrote. “Teams will scoff because of the age, the strikeouts, the positional inflexibility. But Schwarber’s total package will ultimately push some of them off such concerns and trigger a bidding war.
Kyle Schwarber stats: .243 AVG, .366 OBP, .573 SLG, .939 OPS, 49 HR, 119 RBI, 96 R
“If he wants, he can get at least four years. The salary, at that term, should be at least $30 million a year,” he added. “And although remaining in Philadelphia makes the most sense, enough teams have holes at DH — looking at you, Texas, San Diego, Atlanta, Houston, Detroit, Cincinnati — that no amount of labor unrest will cause Schwarber’s market to dry up.”
The Texas Rangers, San Diego Padres, Atlanta Braves, Houston Astros, and Cincinnati Reds are either legit contenders this year or are one big piece away from making serious noise in 2026. Schwarber would be a huge addition to any of the aforementioned lineups next season.
The Phillies star will turn 33 in March and has 11 years of wear-and-tear on his body. However, an elite DH is hard to come by, and he is MLB’s best right now. Furthermore, legends like Edgar Martinez and David Ortiz have shown DHs can still be major impact players even when they are close to 40 years old.
