Kyle Schwarber rejected his qualifying offer. (Madeline Ressler/Phillies Nation)
In what will amount to the least surprising news of the offseason, Kyle Schwarber and Ranger Suárez have both rejected their qualifying offers, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
The QO was set this year at $22.025 million, which Yankees outfielder Trent Grisham, Tigers infielder Gleyber Torres, Brewers pitcher Brandon Woodruff and Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga all accepted, per Passan. It was a no-brainer for Schwarber to decline, and for Suárez too. If the southpaw takes a shorter-term contract, it’ll be for way higher than that amount; even if he signs a longer deal, it will still likely be above that figure. Plus, on the heels of a strong second half and the heaviest workload of his career, it wouldn’t make sense for a player with some injury history to take a one-year deal.
So both now head into what’ll be an intriguing free agency. Suárez, one of the longest tenured Phillies who’s turned into a fan favorite since his 2018 debut, with several postseason moments including a pennant-clincher to his name, generally isn’t expected to return. His market should be robust.
Schwarber is another story. It’s no shoe-in, but expectations are that he and the Phillies will eventually reunite. His market too should be wide, but as a soon-to-be-34-year-old DH, it’s unclear just how wide — and though it’s no secret, the Phillies know better than anyone the value he brings to a clubhouse.
It may be a waiting game for Schwarber, which could throw a wrench into the Phillies’ offseason plans. They may be happy to play along.
