The MLB offseason is fast-approaching, which means free agency for many sought-after stars is as well.

Last December, the Cubs traded for Kyle Tucker when Tucker was a year from his own free agency. The possibility of the 28-year-old signing elsewhere this offseason now looms, and the Cubs will, in turn, be in the market for a power bat to fill that void in the lineup.

Coincidentally, another power-hitter named Kyle who has worn Cubs pinstripes will be testing the waters as well.

That would be none other than Kyle Schwarber, a beloved former Cub who was a member of the 2016 World Series team and played six seasons on the North Side from 2015 to 2020.

A possible reunion with Schwarber was a hot topic of conversation on the latest episode of the “Cubs Weekly Podcast.” Marquee Sports Network’s Lance Brozdowski asked guest Jake Mintz of MLB content duo Céspedes Family BBQ to name a free agent he thought made the most sense for the Cubs heading into the 2026 season.

Without any hesitation, Mintz named Schwarber.

“If (Kyle) Tucker leaves, the fanbase is going to be understandably mad, right?” Mintz said. “If you bring back Kyle Schwarber, are people going to be mad still? Probably not. He’s one of the most beloved players in the history of the franchise — who left on bizarre terms.”

In a shortened 2020 season, Schwarber put up a career-low slash line of .188/.308/.393 (.701 OPS). That offseason, the Cubs non-tendered Schwarber — declining to offer him a contract and making him a free agent with immediate effect — in a shock move.

That meant the Cubs’ front office was content with letting Schwarber walk instead of paying him a salary north of $8 million.

The kicker is, Schwarber is worth far, far more than that five years later.

The 32-year-old signed a 4-year, $79 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies ahead of the 2022 season and made $20 million this year. He hit 56 home runs in 2025 — the second-most in MLB — and his 132 RBI led the league. He’s gotten all three of his All-Star bids since leaving Chicago and has blossomed into an even more dangerous hitter than he was with the Cubs.

There’s also the durability factor — Schwarber hasn’t played fewer than 150 games a season since joining Philadelphia. This year, he was one of four major-leaguers to play in all 162 regular-season contests.

“Kyle Schwarber is a needle-mover,” Mintz said. “He’s a difference-maker, both in the room and on the field. And I think he will end up either going back to Philly or on a team he played for before — whether it’s the Cubs or the Red Sox.”

After the Phillies bowed out of the playoffs in the NLDS earlier this month, Schwarber was visibly emotional as he discussed his future with the team.

“You just never know how it’s going to go,” Schwarber told reporters of his impending free agency.

If the Cubs were to replace Tucker with Schwarber, the latter would slot right into the designated hitter role that Tucker and Seiya Suzuki split time at in 2025. That could cause a logjam, but it’s one that the Cubs would probably be fine dealing with if it meant having a bat like Schwarber’s.

“You’d just deal with Seiya in an outfield corner,” Mintz said. “The problem there is then, how are you going to get (Moisés) Ballesteros at-bats? Those are good problems to have. If I were the Cubs, I would one hundred thousand percent kick the tires on that.

“I’m just all-in on Kyle Schwarber. I think the Cubs should make it happen.”