Kyle Schwarber doubles down on thoughts of leaving Phillies for childhood team

The Philadelphia Phillies will be in a dogfight this offseason when it comes to re-signing veteran free agent slugger Kyle Schwarber. The 32-year-old will have suitors lining up around the block to pay him for his services heading into his age-33 season, especially after what looks to be shaping up into a career year.

Among the usual suspects that will likely offer him a contract this winter, the Cincinnati Reds are also a possible landing spot.

Schwarber, who hails from Middletown, Ohio — which is less than an hour's drive to Great American Ball Park — hit his National League-leading 42nd home run on Monday night. As expected, media members peppered him with questions after the Phillies' 4-1 win about his free agency and the possibility of returning home to Cincinnati in the latter stages of his career.

Kyle Schwarber talks returning to Cincinnati in free agency ... again

According to The Athletic's C. Trent Rosecrans, Schwarber was more than open to the possibility of bringing his big bat home to Cincinnati (subscription required).

“I’ve always said that at some point in your career, if you would ask the childhood Kyle what team you’d like to play for, it would be Cincinnati,” Schwarber said, per Rosecrans. “I think those are natural thoughts, that it would be appealing. But you never know what happens in free agency. Going through it a couple of times now, it’s an interesting scenario.”

It's not the first time that Kyle Schwarber has vocally expressed interest in signing with his hometown Reds. During All-Star festivities, The Philadelphia Inquirer's Scott Lauber reported on Schwarber's thoughts that signing with the Reds would be an appealing option (subscription required).

"I think they're young, they made some moves at the deadline, made some trades for some pieces that will be here for a while too," Schwarber said on Monday, as shared by FOX19's Joe Danneman. "I think there's a lot of things that Cincinnati should be happy about. I think the future here would be bright for them. Obviously [Terry Francona] is over there now, he's a guy who's had a lot of winning experience ... there's a lot of things that are looking up here in Cincinnati."

Combined with another recent rumor that some of Schwarber's friends in the game think he may want to return to the Midwest, it's enough to make Phillies fans sick to their stomachs.

Phillies still have a great chance to re-sign Schwarber

But all hope is not lost. Schwarber has also spoken about wanting to stay in Philadelphia and has dropped hints along the way this season. He reiterated that sentiment on Monday.

“My biggest thing I’ve always said is that I’m here trying to win and help these guys win,” Schwarber said, per Rosecrans. “I have loved my time here, and it’s a clubhouse I can see myself staying in for a period of time.”

Schwarber has been the Phillies' leading offensive force this season, batting .249 with a .951 OPS, those 42 homers, an NL-best 97 RBIs, 81 runs scored and 10 stolen bases to boot.

But the Phillies also know how valuable he is as a teammate off the field. Veteran clubhouse leaders like Schwarber don't come along all the time. Not only would the Phillies lose his bat in the lineup if he were to sign elsewhere this offseason, but they'd also lose a giant piece of the clubhouse puzzle. The question is will they be able to pony up what looks like a larger and larger asking price?

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