Kyle Schwarber is staying with the Philadelphia Phillies.
Per ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the three-time All-Star has agreed to a five-year, $150 million deal with the Phillies that keeps him under contract through the 2030 season.
Jon Heyman of the New York Post provided additional details of the player’s contract:
The Phillies already had $237.7 million in salary commitments on their books for 2026. Assuming this is a straight deal with no deferrals, Schwarber’s $30 million average annual salary will raise their payroll to $267.7 million next season.
This does ensure the Phillies will be over the $244 million competitive balance tax, but it’s a small price to pay given how important Schwarber has been to the franchise.
Schwarber was negotiating from a position of leverage coming off a second-place in NL MVP voting to Shohei Ohtani after hitting .240/.365/.563 with an NL-high 56 homers in 162 games during the 2025 season.
Getting Schwarber’s deal done answers one of many questions facing the Phillies this offseason. He was one of their three big pending free agents, along with J.T. Realmuto and Ranger Suárez.
The Phillies and Schwarber talked about an extension last offseason, but they were unable to agree to terms. He was playing out the final season of his four-year, $79 million deal signed in March 2022.
One reason those previous extension talks may have failed to produce results is because Schwarber’s value is difficult to project going forward. His profile is not one that typically ages well, as a power-first designated hitter with no defensive impact.
Even as that profile can be dangerous to bet on as Schwarber enters his mid-30s, his two best seasons by FanGraphs’ wins above replacement have come in the last two years.
Schwarber’s 150 OPS+ in 2025 was the highest of his career. He has hit at least 30 homers in each of his four years with the Phillies, more than he had in his first seven seasons combined (three).
It made no sense for the Phillies to try playing hard ball with Schwarber in contract negotiations because they are all-in with this core trying to win a World Series. Bryce Harper, Zack Wheeler, Trea Turner and Cristopher Sánchez are among the best players at their positions.
Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski is notoriously aggressive with his trades and contracts. It’s a formula that has paid off well, with the club making the playoffs in each of the past three seasons, including a World Series appearance in 2022.
Schwarber has been a driving force behind the Phillies’ success since he arrived in Philadelphia. He will continue to do so for the next five years now that the club has an agreement in place.