ORLANDO, Fla. — Less than a week after the Phillies fell in the playoffs, managing partner John Middleton made a trip to Kyle Schwarber’s home in South Jersey. They spoke for a few hours. Middleton laid out his vision for the club’s future and what payroll would look like.

That conversation and an earlier sit-down with president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski stayed in the back of Schwarber’s mind as he spoke to other clubs over the following two months.

“Knowing that John is committed to winning and Dave wants our organization to continue to keep pushing for a World Championship, and we want to continue to win the (National League) East — what else, for a player, can you ask for?” Schwarber said Wednesday. “When we have such a great fanbase that on a Wednesday getaway day, there could be 40-some-thousand there. Those are things that I don’t take lightly and things that I wish other players in the league could experience.”

The city celebrated Schwarber via “MVP” chants, homemade posters asking him to re-sign and raucous cheers as he raced to 56 homers. His teammates and coaches appreciated his leadership, work ethic and character. Now, he has embraced them in turn, inking a five-year, $150 million deal with the Phillies on Tuesday.

He explored his options before choosing to return. Schwarber and his wife, Paige, traveled to Cincinnati to hear his hometown team’s pitch. The Baltimore Orioles matched the Phillies’ offer, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported. The Boston Red Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates were also involved.

It was Philadelphia that won over Schwarber. It was returning to a fan base that had passed around and signed a fake Constitution, urging Schwarber to return. It was reuniting with hitting coach Kevin Long, who has helped Schwarber become one of the best left-on-left bats in the sport. It was returning to an organization and teammates who have supported Schwarber’s charity work for military members and first responders.

“It’s not all just baseball,” Schwarber said. “There’s a lot of different things that you have to ask (about). There’s other things that come up. And, also knowing that the Middleton family, the players, the front office, the coaches, everyone wants to support each other — like I said, that’s another driving factor. We’ve done some really good work in Philadelphia, and now that we’re signing up for five more years, we’re so excited to get that opportunity to keep building on something great here.”

Philly! We can’t tell you how excited we are! Can’t wait to keep riding with you guys and to get the job done 🤟 pic.twitter.com/0jQ5sFDegQ

— Kyle Schwarber (@kschwarb12) December 10, 2025

Schwarber rushed to Philadelphia for his physical upon agreeing to the deal. Now, he’s back in Ohio with another celebration on the horizon: the birth of his daughter.

Rule 5 wrap and pitching additions

The Phillies selected right-handed, Triple-A pitcher Zach McCambley from the Marlins in the major-league phase of the Rule 5 Draft. He is just the third Rule 5 pick under Dombrowski. The Phillies’ last Rule 5 pick to break camp with the club was outfielder Tyler Goeddel in 2016.

McCambley’s repertoire features a fastball that sits at 94 mph and reaches up to 96, along with a cutter and slider. He is particularly tough on righties, allowing just a .186/.244/.246 slash line against them in 53 innings across Double A and Triple A last season.

“When we drafted him, we had the feeling that he could make the team,” Dombrowski said. “And one of the things that we’ve talked about looking to have over the last few years is a person in the bullpen who dominates right-handed hitters. We think he has the chance to be that. We can gamble a little bit on it because we’ve got roster spots.”

The Phillies lost pitcher Griff McGarry, once regarded as one of the club’s top prospects, to the Washington Nationals in the Rule 5 Draft. They did not protect McGarry despite the club having several open roster spots. While evaluating retaining McGarry, Dombrowski said they felt he’d have a hard time staying with a big-league club. They risked his being selected to keep a roster spot open. McGarry, a 2021 fifth-rounder, also went unprotected last year (though he was unselected).

Philadelphia also made a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday, acquiring right-handed pitcher Yoniel Curet in exchange for minor-league reliever Tommy McCollum. The Rays had designated Curet for assignment on Sunday. His fastball averaged 95.8 mph in his 31 1/3 innings with Triple-A Durham, where he spent most of last season as a starter — though he could be a bullpen option for the Phillies.

Wheeler’s rehab

Zack Wheeler started playing catch again last week, Dombrowski said. He is spending the offseason in Philadelphia rehabbing and working with head athletic trainer Paul Buchheit.

“Paul’s got him coming in three times a week, which he needs to do,” Dombrowski said. “And not only (playing) catch, but he needs to strengthen some muscles because he hasn’t used them, which is normal. But everything’s been encouraging. The doctors signed off for him to continue to move forward.”

Wheeler, who was diagnosed with venous thoracic outlet syndrome in August, was expected to be ready in six to eight months. It might be closer to spring training or the beginning of the regular season. The Phillies do not have a feel for whether his progress could be on the faster or slower end.

“We will not push him to be ready other than what the doctors tell us to do,” Dombrowski said.

— The Athletic’s Matt Gelb contributed reporting