The Philadelphia Phillies continue to win games, and it's thanks in large part to NL MVP candidate Kyle Schwarber. Schwarber hit his 41st home run of the season on Friday and continues to build on his impressive career-high .962 OPS. His career year has been amazing to watch but is also making it increasingly difficult for the Phillies to retain him, as he's set to be a free agent after 2025.
Schwarber has been a prolific power bat since he joined the Phillies in 2022. He's earned every bit of his initial four-year, $79 million deal. Now the Phillies have to shell out a lot more than that to retain their home run king after this season.
Can the Phillies offer Kyle Schwarber enough to stay in Philadelphia?
Schwarber is certainly exploiting his worth in the batter's box this season, as he has 41 home runs, 95 RBIs and an impressive 160 OPS+. The timing of him being on an expiring contract couldn't be worse for the Phillies, as the price tag keeps climbing with every passing game. He's going to fetch a large payday, and the Phillies could have a number to shoot for to avoid him leaving for another team. That number could end up in the ballpark of five-years, $150 million, averaging $30 million per year. Some experts are saying that he could possibly ask for higher.
The deal is pretty sizable considering Schwarber will be 33 years old next season, so a five-year deal would take him through his age-37 season. Deals that would be similar to what Schwarber could fetch would be like the Houston Astros' Jose Altuve at 33 years old (five years, $125 million), the Los Angeles Dodgers' Freddie Freeman at 32 years old (six years, $162 million), the San Fransisco Giants' Matt Chapman at 31 years old (six years, $151 million) and the Toronto Blue Jays' George Springer at 31 years old (six years, $150 million). A deal worth $150 million is a big commitment to just a designated hitter, but Schwarber has proven that he isn't just your average pure hitter that would diminish with age.
The Phillies and Schwarber's team failed to advance talks during last offseason, which the fans took exception to with the countless “re-sign Schwarber” signs and blank check cut-outs at Citizens Bank Park this summer. Phillies fans hoped that it could possibly be worked out during the season, but both parties eventually agreed to let Schwarber test himself in the free-agent market first.
Schwarber has since set himself up nicely to get potentially whatever money he wants, but Philadelphia, and its loyal fans, will still be patiently waiting as they continue to chant MVP every time Schwarber steps into the batter's box.