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Kyle Schwarber’s Blank Check Unfortunately Has to Be Taken off the Table
By Sean Barnard
Published:
Kyle Schwarber has been a model player and teammate across his four years in Philadelphia. His impending free agency had been one of the larger storylines of this Phillies season and will be thrust into the forefront following the disastrous playoff exit. For months the message has been for John Middleton to present the slugger with a blank check and remain in Philadelphia regardless of the price point:
The dust will begin to settle now and the Phillies will begin to search for their pathway to get over the championship hump. Schwarber will be among the largest of these decisions, as he’s one of the premier free agents across Major League Baseball. But when mapping out the pathway to improving the overall roster, Schwarber’s position as DH could handcuff the Phillies in a way they need to be conscious of before blindly signing him for his desired dollar figure.
Kyle Schwarber by the Numbers
It’s always a roll of the dice when an organization allows a player to head into their final season of a contract and directly set their market. Schwarber made the most of this opportunity and drove his price point up quite a bit.
The three-time All-Star suited up for all 162 regular season games, posting a slash line of .240/.365/.563 with a .928 OPS. This is a career-high OPS and slugging percentage with the batting average an on-base percentage ranking in the top three of his career. Schwarber hit a career-high 56 homes runs, which ranked 2nd in MLB, and led the entire league with 132 RBIs. He also tied his career high with 10 stolen bases and set a career high with 111 runs, 145 hits, and a 152wRC+ (weight runs created+).
The power is where the Phillies’ need is clear for Schwarber is clear. They ranked ninth in MLB with 212 homers. Outside of Schwarber’s 56 home, Bryce Harper was next with 27 and Max Kepler had 18. The Dodgers, for comparison, had five players on the roster with 20+ home runs.
Baseball is a difficult sport to purely view through the lens of the postseason, due to what a marathon the regular season is. But it’s at least noting he hit two of the Phillies’ three home runs in the playoffs. It also is probably worth noting that these were also two of Schwarber’s three hits as he posted an overall slash line of .188/.278/.625. He was far from the only culprit of the bats going cold and deserves more grace than others, but you would still hope for more than what Schwarber produced.
Why the Contract Outlook is Complicated
All things equal, Schwarber is not the type of player you want walking out of your organization under any circumstance. But all things are not equal in the Phillies’ current context. Harper is still under contract through 2031. Trea Turner is under contract through 2033. Bryson Stott and Alec Bohm are less secure from a contractual standpoint, but are some of the few regular starters below the age of 33.
If you are to improve this Phillies team, it’s going to require some level of change. This same general core has attempted to get over the World Series hump for four consecutive seasons. There have been several different smaller tweaks around the edges, primarily in the bullpen and outfield, to improve their chances. It should still be made clear that the Phillies have been one of the most successful teams in baseball over this four-year stretch, even if there is a sour taste remaining in our collective mouths. But no one in the organization has been shy about declaring that the World Series victory is the goal and they have fallen short of this.
If the goal is to make signifcant changes this offseason, committing major money to the designated hitter spot makes this difficult. Schwarber played 139 games for the Phillies in left field in 2022, 103 games in the 2023 season, just five games in 2024, and suited up in the outfield eight times this year. Hitting is the most difficult part of baseball and it is Schwarber’s clear strength. But you also can find a replacement at DH in a way that is not quite the same for a position player on the field.
Phillies Have to Think with Their Wallets
This is not an article suggesting Kyle Schwarber should be chased out of town. But the outlook should have shifted within the walls of Phillies’ front office that they cannot just give him a monstrous contract in good faith without figuring out how to maximize the full potential of the offseason. Where Schwarber’s desired dollar figure lands will play a major role in answering this.
Currently, Shohei Ohtani is the highest paid DHin baseball with an AAV of $70 million per season. His ability as a pitcher changes his market value quite a bit and he falls in an even more unique market than the Phillies’ slugger. Schwarber is technically the next highest paid DH in baseball and coming off a season in which he earned $19.75 million. Yordan Alvarez is next at $19.2 million and then Joc Pederson at $18 million.
Schwarber will almost certainly desire some sort of raise and the Phillies already had the third-highest payroll this season. If you can get a power hitting outfielder and another player for the price point that Schwarber is asking for that has to be a pathway that is at least explored. Or, if there is a power hitting third baseman that allows you to shift Alec Bohm to first base and move Harper back to the outfield, this also should be considered. The mindset should not be keep Schwarber at all costs, but rather at what costs are we keeping Kyle Schwarber?
With all this being said, you will not find a person to say a bad word about Kyle Schwarber around the Phillies organization, or really in all of baseball. He has been praised by plenty for his role as leader within the locker room and Schwarber was clearly pretty emotional when speaking about his relationship with the rest of the Phillies and the organization following the postseason exit:
The Phillies also still have to evaluate the future of several other notable free agents as well. J.T. Realmuto, Ranger Suarez, and Max Kepler headline this list with a club option for Jose Alvarado and a mutual option with Harrison Bader. Schwarber will almost certainly be the priority in these conversations as the offseason begins and the biggest piece of the offseason puzzle overall.
But the unfortunate takeaway from this year’s postseason exit is that nothing should truly be completely off the table. Being bounced in the NLDS in back-to-back years after getting so close to that World Series mountaintop should require everyone to look themselves in the mirror for what the next best steps are. For John Middleton, that should not be blindly coughing up a blank check to keep this roster intact.
Sean Barnard has covered the Philadelphia 76ers and general Philly Sports for over six years in a variety of roles and for multiple outlets. Currently works as a Content Writer for DraftKings Network, Sixers/NBA Insider for Philadelphia's Fox Sports the Gambler, and co-host of Sixers & Phillies Digest on Youtube. Forever Trusting the Process.