Cincinnati native and free agent Kyle Schwarber was back in Cincinnati on Wednesday night and spoke to reporters about being back home and the possibility of signing with the Reds.
“It’s always great,” Schwarber said. “Whenever we are here, it’s always fun for us. Our family is here. My wife’s family. We got all of our friends here. It’s always fun for us to be here. This is a place that we call home. We love it here and we are going to spend a lot of time here as a family in the future.”
Schwarber had a huge year last season, slashing .240/.365/.563 with 81 extra-base hits, including a league-leading 56 home runs.
When asked specifically about the Reds, Schwarber didn’t rule anything out.
“I think good ole Gordon Wittnemyer was the one who started this frenzy at the All-Star Game. He asked a question kind of similar to that, where I said the kid in me, I grew up going to games there, I grew up sitting in the bleachers and watching a lot of games. I think the kid would be excited, right? You have your hometown team that is calling. But also being in the profession, knowing a little bit more about the ins and outs, you’re never going to not be open. You always have to listen and keep different options open, and see what happens. We will see.”
It feels unlikely the Reds will shell out the money it”ll take to sign the slugging 32-year-old, but neither side has ruled it out.