Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber is a free agent, and while the organization will likely want to retain him, other teams will be vying for his services.
Schwarber had a career year last season, hitting 56 home runs and totalling 132 RBIs, coming out to a total of 4.7 bWAR. Considering his defense did not contribute to his WAR calculations, it is impressive how valuable he was to the Phillies.
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Despite being 32 years old, when power hitters like him can experience a decline in ability, Schwarber is playing better than ever, and his next contract will be one of the more lucrative deals on a per-year salary basis.
He will end up finishing high on the list of MVP voting, likely falling short of the award, but his power-hitting has garnered the attention of multiple teams.
Considering how well he played and his love for the organization, the Phillies make sense as a natural landing spot, especially since they want to capitalize on their championship window.
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While the Phillies will undoubtedly be in the race, Schwarber’s market will be expansive, and another team, such as the Cincinnati Reds, could make sense for the designated hitter who could add power to the lineup, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
“Currently the Reds are carrying a projected payroll of around $75 million. They have run year-end payrolls as high as $135 million,” Passan wrote.
“Even if Cincinnati has indicated it doesn’t plan to increase payroll much over $116 million this year, there is room for a big swing.
“And the fact that the Reds have a glaring need for offense and that the best available free agent hitter grew up on the outskirts of the city is screaming for the Reds to throw caution to the wind and supercharge a team with plenty of potential to contend.
“Will they? Probably not. It’s the Reds. But it’s too obvious not to try to speak it into existence.”
The Reds made the playoffs this season, and adding a prized free agent could send a message to the roster that they want to remain competitive and push on forward.
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