The Philadelphia Phillies will face steep competition as the sweepstakes for one of the biggest names in free agency heats up.
The Phillies have an important decision to make this offseason. After finishing with one of the top records in baseball, the team fell short to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS. Philadelphia’s top player this season was 32-year-old Kyle Schwarber. The three-time All-Star played on a whole new level this season, setting career highs with 56 home runs and 132 RBIs.
After a career year, Schwarber testing free agency as one of the most sought-after players on the market. MLB.com’s Thomas Harrington reported that the 32-year-old’s market is heating up with the winter meeting quickly approaching.
“The market for Kyle Schwarber is taking shape ahead of baseball’s annual Winter Meetings next week,” Harrigan wrote Tuesday. “Re-signing the 32-year-old slugger is said to be a priority for the Phillies, but sources told MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki last week that no deal was close between the two sides.
“As a result, the door is open for another club to swoop in, and one of Philadelphia’s biggest rivals has emerged as a possible landing spot. In any case, the Schwarber sweepstakes could reach a resolution relatively soon. In Passan’s view, it would be a surprise if he didn’t have a deal in place by the end of the Winter Meetings.”
There are many teams that are going to vying for Schwarber this offseason, including the New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles and Cincinnati Reds. Basically any team that wants to improve its lineup should be pursuing the Phillies slugger this offseason.
Philadelphia is still viewed as one of the favorites to sign Schwarber, but it will be interesting to see if the star has a new home following the winter meetings.
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