The free agent market is open for business. The Philadelphia Phillies remain a top team in baseball with a payroll to match and their approach to every offseason has proven their willingness to win.
They'll remain aggressive this winter, especially with their free agent designated hitter Kyle Schwarber.
Schwarber's market will be extensive this winter, as the reigning NL home run champion and current NL MVP candidate will eye the biggest payday of his career. The Phillies will have competition in trying to bring him back to Philadelphia, and that could also include the New York Yankees.
Yankees could steal Kyle Schwarber away if Phillies aren't careful
If there's one thing the Yankees aren't shy about, it's spending money in free agency. Much like the Phillies, the Yankees are among the highest continuous spenders in MLB. Last year, the Phillies ranked fourth in payroll, while the Yankees were third. They came up short in the postseason, just like the Phillies, and ESPN's Jesse Rogers sees the Yankees pivoting to Schwarber if Cody Bellinger walks.
“He could also balance out the Yankees' lineup if Cody Bellinger walks," Rogers notes in ESPN's free agency primer. "Can you imagine his home run totals with the short porch at Yankee Stadium?”
That would be terrible for the Phillies to see Schwarber in Yankees pinstripes instead of the red pinstripes he's sported the last four seasons. Schwarber has made a home in Philadelphia, and Phillies fans would like it to stay that way. Schwarber has hit 187 home runs over the last four seasons and has been an incredible driving force behind the Phillies' offense.
Schwarber does have some good-looking numbers in 11 career games at Yankee Stadium, batting .289 with a 1.014 OPS, five home runs and 12 RBIs. Yankee Stadium's right field short porch could definitely be a factor.
Oddly enough however, Schwarber's expected home runs in 2025 were higher at Citizens Bank Park (58) than at Yankee Stadium (49), per Statcast. The field dimensions may seem like a reasonable bonus for Schwarber, but Citizens Bank Park has proven to be the best ballpark for his career.
The Yankees, along with a lot of other MLB teams, would be lucky to have Schwarber in the middle of their lineup. It could be the Yankees who are just as hungry for a championship, but it could also be the Phillies who have called Schwarber their own.