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Will the Phillies Have Buyer’s Remorse on the Kyle Schwarber Contract?
By Sean Barnard
Published:
The Philadelphia Phillies kicked off the offseason by inking Kyle Schwarber to a monstrous five-year, $150 million contract. Coming off a career-best season in which he led the National League with 56 home runs and led MLB with 132 RBIs, Schwarber was one of the premier free agents in baseball and saw plenty of attention across the league.
Throughout the entire season, it did not feel like the question was whether Schwarber would be back, but rather at what number and price. The Phillies rolled the dice by allowing him to set his market in a contract year and ended up costing themselves a few extra million on the backend as a result.
For the most part, the reception has (rightfully) been extremely positive. Beyond how necessary he is as a power bat in the Phillies lineup, he is continually praised for his leadership within the clubhouse. You will not find a human being to speak a bad word about the slugger, and he has become the fabric of the organization in a short amount of time. Schwarber was one of the premier free agents on the market, and it would be extremely poor practice to just allow a player of his caliber to walk out the door. This is especially the case with no other Phillies player, excluding Schwarber’s 56 home runs, recording more than 27 four-baggers this year. There was also not a pure Schwarber replacement on the market if these negations did go south.
But the strings that come attached to this type of contract also cannot be completely ignored. The five-year, $150 million deal boils down to $30 million per season, even if there are some Howie Roseman-like salary cap intricacies to soften the luxury tax blow for next year. Only Zack Wheeler makes more annually than Schwarber on this Phillies roster. This dollar figure is more than players like Trea Turner ($27.3 million) and Bryce Harper ($25.4 million). This can mostly be chalked up to the timing of when a player hits the open market, and Schwarber certainly hit the open market at the most opportune time, but this is top-dollar money any way you look at it.
The bigger story is locking in a set designated hitter at this significant of a price point. For reference, among designated hitters, only Shohei Ohtani makes more with a $70 million AAV. Ohtani’s ability as a pitcher and the four MVPs next to his name provide a notable caveat. The next highest paid designated hitters are Yordan Alvarez ($19.2 million AAV), Joc Pederson ($18.5 million), Masataka Yoshiba ($18 million), and Brent Rooker ($12 million).
When Schwarber first arrived in Philadelphia, he still regularly played in the field. He logged 139 games in left in his first season in red pinstripes in 2022. The 32-year-old played 103 games in left in 2023 as well. But he then fully took on the role as the team’s DH from this point, playing just five games in left field in 2024 and eight last year, perhaps for the better.
When the Phillies were eliminated from playoff contention this season, there was a feeling that change was needed. After losing in the World Series in 2022, they regressed in three consecutive postseasons and were dealt with by the Dodgers in the first round of the playoffs this year. This feeling softened a bit as the Dodgers thumped the Brewers before the Blue Jays came within inches of taking out LA to win it all.
But the decision to cut this deal for Schwarber was another step toward running it back and keeping this same core in place. There are pros and cons to both sides of the keeping continuity vs. upgrading for pure talent argument, but locking in a designated hitter at this significant of a dollar amount puts limits on how you can build out the roster from here.
The lingering whispers all season indicated that the length of the contract was the larger hurdle than the money. Five years ended up being the sticking point, with the Baltimore Orioles reportedly willing to offer the same length for the Phillies’ star.
The outlook for why Schwarber is worth this money for the next few seasons is pretty clear. Will he ever hit 56 home runs and lead the league in RBIs again? Maybe not. But Schwarber provides a level of power threat that is essential to this Phillies lineup. He has hit at least 38 home runs in every season with the Phillies and has posted a slash line of .226/.349/.507 across the four years. There is no doubt that he helps this team win and will remain a key part of their outlook over the next two to three seasons. This is a deal you pay for in the short-term and hope it is still worth it in the later stages.
Set to be 33 years old at the start of next season, this new contract will take Schwarber through his age-37 season. He has dropped weight in recent seasons and has a swing that seems like it will age well. If anything, the Ohio native strikes me as a guy who will be mashing home runs in beer league games well into his late 50s. But Father Time is undefeated, and there is a world where the backend of this deal gets a little concerning.
If the Phillies win a World Series next year with Schwarber as a key part of this effort, there will be no frustration over the dollar figures. There was a similar situation on the tail end of the 2008 World Series Era with Ryan Howard and a few other franchises legends making more than they probably should have on the backend of their career. The clear difference here was this came with a championship banner and the requisite level of ensuing grace.
The Kyle Schwarber contract is a commitment that this current core is good enough to win a championship. It’s now up to the front office to fill in the rest of this roster and ensure that this is the case. There is no clear answer for what the outfield lineup will look like, even after the acquisition of Adolis Garcia. Schwarber may have been the right start to the offseason, but if the Phillies do not finish the job and complete the roster, they will be feeling the effects of paying top dollar for a DH in the later years.
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.