Phillies

Never a Doubt: Kyle Schwarber and Phillies Agree to 5-Year Contract

By Luke Arcaini

Published: Dec 9th, 2025 · 11:43 AM EST

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Kyle Schwarber is returning to Philadelphia on a 5-year contract, according to multiple reports:

BREAKING: Slugger Kyle Schwarber and the Philadelphia Phillies are finalizing a five-year, $150 million contract, sources tell ESPN. The NL MVP runner-up, one of the best home run hitters and clubhouse leaders in baseball, is returning to Philadelphia.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 9, 2025

Schwarber’s deal is reportedly worth $150M spread across 5 years, coming out to $30M per, the highest AAV in the history of baseball for a designated hitter.

It was always Schwarber back to the Phillies. I tried to tell you guys for the last three months that the Cincinnati reports were a joke, almost just as much of a joke as the Pirates reports. Kyle Schwarber wants to win a World Series. He’s not doing that in Cincy or Pittsburgh. Once either of those teams are actually willing to fork up the money for a big-time free agent, then they’ll be able to sit at the table with the big threats around the league.

The Phillies got their guy back. The heartbeat of the lineup and clubhouse returns to Philadelphia for a half a decade. They’ll now shift gears and try and bring back J.T. Realmuto, with multiple reports saying the Phillies still remain the favorite there as well.

An announcement from the Phillies: the team has also agreed to extend Rob Thomson’s contract through the 2027 season. Thomson was heading into the last year of his contract this upcoming season.