Kyle Schwarber and the Philadelphia Phillies agreed on a five-year, $150 million contract on Tuesday. Now that they've checked off their primary goal for the winter, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski can turn his attention to other roster needs the club has to resolve.
While it wasn't a guarantee before the Schwarber re-signing, it's more certain than ever now that with the designated hitter and his $30 million annual salary back in Philadelphia that the Phillies will not pursue many of the big-name, well-known free agents who are still available.
With some big contracts expected to be handed out over the remainder of the offseason, which available players won't be in the Phillies' sights following the Schwarber deal?
3 free agents who won't be Phillies after Kyle Schwarber's massive new contract
Ranger Suárez, LHP
The Phillies' chances of re-signing Ranger Suárez were already slim before Schwarber's new contract, given their starting pitching depth for next season and the left-hander's hiring of mega-agent Scott Boras last winter.
Suárez is coming off another solid regular season in which he went 12-8 with a 3.20 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP in 26 starts. His performance out of the bullpen as a long reliever in Game 3 of the NLDS against the Los Angeles Dodgers helped the Phillies avoid being swept.
While the Phillies would like to re-sign Suárez, they have Zack Wheeler, Cristopher Sánchez, Jesús Luzardo, and Aaron Nola locked in the starting rotation for next season. Top prospect Andrew Painter and Taijuan Walker will be competing for a starting role in spring training as well.
There doesn't appear to be room on the payroll for another starting pitcher contract like Suárez is expecting. He could possibly get four years, but maybe even up to five or six with an AAV of around $28 million.
Cody Bellinger, OF
Cody Bellinger is projected to sign a new deal similar to Schwarber's, if not a slightly larger and more expensive contract. If Schwarber hadn't re-signed, the Phillies may have pursued Bellinger as they seek to improve the outfield.
Bellinger compiled 29 home runs and 98 RBIs this year with the New York Yankees, both highs for him since he won the National League MVP award in 2019 with the Dodgers. He slashed his way to a .272/.334/.480 line with a .814 OPS in 152 contests during the regular season.
Bellinger is on track to receive the contract he wants, but it won't be with the Phillies. With ESPN's Kiley McDaniel previously predicting that the 30-year-old will get a deal in the six-year, $165 million neighborhood, he's out of the Phillies' price range now.
Kyle Tucker, OF
Kyle Tucker compiled 22 home runs, 73 RBIs, and a .266/.377/.464 line with an .841 OPS in 136 games with the Chicago Cubs this season. Like Bellinger, bringing in Tucker would have given the Phillies an unquestioned No. 1 outfielder.
Philadelphia was not considered one of the favorites to sign Tucker due to the enormous deal he is projected to receive this winter. Even if Schwarber didn't agree to a new contract with the Phillies, they likely would have preferred to sign a top free agent not on track to sign a deal for up to $400 million over 10 years.
However, the 28-year-old may end up agreeing to an even shorter-term, higher annual value deal. The Dodgers are rumored to have interest in signing Tucker to a three- or four-year contract (subscription required).