The Phillies and Kyle Schwarber have had “broad” discussions about a contract extension this spring, writes Matt Gelb of The Athletic. Schwarber had told reporters a couple weeks ago that he was open to conversations. The slugger indicated at the time that he was unaware of any ongoing negotiations. It now seems they’ve opened talks, but Gelb writes there’s no indication of an imminent deal.
Schwarber is entering the final season of his four-year free agent deal. The $79MM investment has paid off handsomely for the Phillies. He has hit .221/.344/.488 with 131 homers in a little more than 2000 plate appearances. Only Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani have hit more home runs over the last three seasons.
The two-time All-Star has one of the sport’s most extreme offensive approaches. He draws tons of walks with huge power while striking out in almost 30% of his trips to the plate. While it’s an unconventional profile for a leadoff hitter, Schwarber has been an impact presence at the top of the lineup.
Philadelphia would clearly take a hit to their offense if they let Schwarber walk. The question is what kind of investment they’re willing to make to retain a bat-first player into his mid-30s. Schwarber turns 32 next week. An extension would cover his age-33 seasons and beyond. He started five games in left field last season. Retaining him would probably force the Phillies to keep Nick Castellanos in right field for 2026, the final season of his less successful five-year contact. Castellanos could otherwise move to DH next season.
Schwarber is taking some first base reps in camp this year. He could step in for Bryce Harper on occasion throughout the season, which would be his first action there since he logged 75 innings for the Red Sox in 2021. He’s likely to continue getting a few scattered starts in left. He’s not quite an exclusive designated hitter, but the majority of his work will come as a DH. He’s a well below-average defender in left field.
The Phils will pay Schwarber $20MM for the upcoming season. He’d be eligible for a qualifying offer next winter. He’d be a very likely QO recipient if he has a typical year. That’d entitle the Phillies to 2026 draft compensation if he walks, but it’d be a pick after the fourth round because of their luxury tax status. That’s of modest value to a team that’s squarely in win-now mode.
Another four-year deal would be a tough sell at Schwarber’s age. Corner bats and/or designated hitters have recently been held to three years on contracts starting at 33 and above. That can come at a solid annual value. Teoscar Hernández received a deferred $66MM guarantee to re-sign with the Dodgers on a three-year deal.
While Hernández is a year younger than Schwarber will be next offseason, the Phils’ slugger is younger than Christian Walker and José Abreu were when they landed three-year free agent deals. They brought more to the table defensively (especially Walker), but none played a premium position. Schwarber’s offensive consistency puts him above the likes of Jorge Soler and Mitch Haniger, each of whom landed a bit north of $40MM on three-year deals at age 32.
Even if Schwarber is limited to three years, his next contract should come with a higher annual value than the $19.75MM average on his current deal. The Phillies already have six players on deals that’ll pay at least $18MM in 2026. Zack Wheeler is making $42MM annually through ’27. Harper, Trea Turner, and Aaron Nola are on significant contracts running into the 2030s. The Phils face potential free agent departures of Ranger Suárez and J.T. Realmuto after this season. They’ve reportedly shown some interest in a Realmuto extension as well.
Philadelphia’s competitive balance tax payroll this year is close to $308MM, according to RosterResource. That puts them in the highest penalization tier. They’ve paid the tax in three straight seasons, so they’re facing the top level of repeat penalties. Their 2026 tax estimate drops to $185MM, but that doesn’t account for arbitration raises for the likes of Alec Bohm, Jesús Luzardo, Bryson Stott and Brandon Marsh.
2 years at $22 million per or Phillies need to say thanks but no thanks
Are broad talks “I would like an extension” and response is “Cool”
Thanx for for first laugh of the day….
The real story is about how his contract fits within the larger landscape of roster optimization, financial flexibility, and future trade leverage.
Don’t give multi-year deals to DHs
He’s young enough where a 2-3 year deal wouldn’t kill them even if it didn’t work out. His power is still there and his plate discipline is elite.
Yeah I don’t know if any player who strikes out 30% of the time has “elite” plate discipline. Elite plate discipline is guys like Soto and Freeman…guys who walk as much or more than Schwarber but also do not strike out. They take balls and swing at strikes. I don’t watch Schwarber as much as a Phillie fan would but in order to strike out that much he has to be either taking strikes and getting behind in the count and/or swinging at balls he shouldn’t be swinging at. Either way, that is definitely not “elite” plate discipline.
Brent Rooker?
What about him?
Rooker just signed a 5-year extension with the A’s.
::::Alas. A perfect example of how the CBT tax screws the somewhat decent player so the superstars get their decade contracts and the benchwarmers claim their spots out of options::::
“CBT tax screws the somewhat decent”…Blame the Scott Boras led MLBPA. They’re fine with the top 1% getting 75%(Soto, Burnes, Fried) of the pie and everyone else fighting to get that last peace of pie.
Just remember these rules are the rules that Scott Boras and his flunkies and gofers in the MLBPA “labor union” AGREED to.
Yea and why do you think players like the above pictured do not have Boras for an agent. The smart ones are wise to it. From 30,000 miles up he only asked for 3/60 from Philly and got 4/79 in the battle with Boston. That’s how it should be. Nobody wants to watch a team full of 40 year olds playing baseball while talented 26 year olds are stuck in a corn field playing for grandma.
@BurnerK,
Careful flying 30,000 miles above the Earth, as that’s well outside the Earth’s atmosphere. At that point you’re more astronaut than airline pilot.
Please elaborate.
Lots of teams don’t pay a CBT.
Lots of teams have no problem exceeding the CBT.
But that’s the way it goes with everything in life. 80% of restaurants are dines, while 10% are starred restaurants and 10% are food trucks.
I remember when hitting .221 got them benched or traded.
Ah, I knew someone would come along and post a dumb comment about his batting average. His OBP is. 344, which is why he is leading off. And scoring and driving in over 100 runs per year.
“Dumb comment”…I guess you showed him how superior(and condescending)you are.
Well, one might consider Dodger’s comments to be somewhat belittling of Schwarber’s talents.
One wonky year he played on a bad knee and still nailed over 100RBI and 40 plus HR had a low batting average that took a nose dive at the end really drug that Down. It’s deceiving 3 year sample.
The Phillies have the least payroll flexibility in the game among “big market” clubs. Harper, Turner, Nola and to a lesser degree Wheeler have many high AAV years left. Their ownership is not as wealthy as the Dodgers or Mets. With Painter, Crawford and Miller on the verge of helping, they should reset just under the top penalty tier next year, even if that means losing Schwarber and Realmuto. They’ll still compete.
They have some great young talent coming up to make room for it’s just too bad the congestion isn’t really Realmuto and Schwarber. They are just the earliest opportunity to relieve the payroll.
Padres?
The Phillies have plenty of money and great attendance. The CBT penalties in the draft is the biggest problem.
My sense is Middleton does not favor 100 percent penalties much. Plus he has significant new minority owners.
So there’s even more money? Middleton had enough on his own. Middleton doesn’t have loans and real estate, his wealth is in cash, it’s real.
Doesn’t mean he wants to pay the league $20 million in penalties when he pays a $20 million salary. Besides, if he and Dombrowski want sustained competitiveness, you have to cut bait with veterans in decline.
A related worry is lost draft compensation with higher penalties, meaning you need to spend yet more on FAs.
You said it, brother.
Baseball America Ranked the Phillies Farm System 20th in MLB last month.
That Castellanos contract looked like a mistake the day it was signed.
1000%
That’s why DUMBrowski keeps Taijuan Walker around. The egregiously stupid nature of that contract draws the spotlight away from Castellanos.
No, because the contract is guaranteed for 2 more years.
He is looking much better this spring, and perhaps there is hope he earns a spot in the pen. Or maybe they can trade him if they eat $27mil of the $36mil left.
HIs Numbers from 2020-2023 were very solid middle of the rotation numbers for a 3/4 starter. Never worth $18 million per year but if he can return for form, they Phillies may be able to get more value out of the last two years than a straight cut. Who knows what was wrong last year, loss of velocity and accuracy…but maybe he is healed now.
A Broad Street Extension…
Seems like a modern day under the radar superstar type who can quietly justify $20M a year in a way that nobody thinks twice about because there’s always some other guts on bloated deals with 5+ years left at $27.5M or $30M+ per season etc taking all the overly analytical criticism away from Schwarber types.
I think 2 years/$46M making it 6 years/$120M and one of the rare deals that is both large and such fair pay that I have not really heard remarks on it being of great value or an albatross at any point. It’s just a fair market value deal that was appropriate for AAV and duration and no extra analysis has been necessary. What a concept!
Man those are so rare as to be inverse reality of common logic: that players are either on overly team friendly deals that are essentially “steals” of the player’s true value, or they’re a gross overpay that makes a player’s modest productivity an embarrassing situation.
Honestly- how many players can we say are paid extremely fairly for the skillset/median value in their year over year performances and whose contract lengths were neither too long nor too short, but just right?
Ode to joy. The non Boras client. When he was in FA before Philly he asked for 3/60. It was between Boston Philly and NY. Philly threw in the extra year and was the focus team with Harper on and an open spot in left field. Now if it doesn’t work out to stay it still won’t be an albatross contract ask out there but with the 26 shutdown looming it may be a risk for some smaller clubs.
Let him and Ranger go and sign Vlad Jr
I would not even think about giving Vlad Jr. the $340mil he scoffed at.
He might be 340 pounds before he turns 29, but he’ll never be worth $340mil and he wants over $500mil.
Dombrowski has done well but his owner has given him a large margin for financial error, of which there have been a few. Walker, Castellanos, probably Turner and Gregorius a few years back. He cannot compound that by over committing to Schwarber or Realmuto in their 30s. Schwarber is really likable but can be replaced in the order by a rh bat, giving Crawford, Miller and possibly Rincones openings. Realmuto is tougher. Might need a stopgap in 2026 hoping Tait is ready in 2027. But Realmuto is older and has played hard for a long time.
I agree. I’m also open-minded to an extension if it remains in the $20m AAV range and is no greater than 3 guaranteed years. I can get on board with 3 yrs / 20m per season, and a 4th year option also at $20m. It is not unlikely that Schwarber continues to be a productive hitter. Players who can hit 40 hrs are not common, and this roster would be particularly starved for power hitters if they allow Schwarber to walk. So 3 years and 60m or something in that range, I can get on board with . . .
Team must get younger not older. Extending Schwarber makes the Phillies older and handicaps roster flexibility. Maybe the smart move is QO both of them.
You also need production. Relacing Schwarber with a younger but less productive player is not aligned with paying your SP1 $42m for each of the next three seasons. It also doesn’t make the team all that more flexible for 2026, when you would need to slide Castellanos into the DH role full time anyway. I’m really in the middle of the road when it comes to extending Schwarber. I can understand letting him walk for the reasons you mention, and I can see extending him on a short-term and team-friendly deal, only because there are few options for replacing his production.
No, Schwarber cannot be replaced by a “RH bat”. Go look at his splits since you have not watched him leave LHPs stunned at his reaching out and hooking a ball into the second deck that the pitcher thought was a perfectly executed sucker pitch off the outside part of the plate.
First, you’re talking about Schwarber at age 34, 35. Decline years. Second, next year you slot Castellanos at DH which is an auto defensive upgrade. Crawford in center may exceed Marsh. Turner to left field, Miller to short for another fielding improvement. That’s a damn competitive, much younger team. Having said that, I’d be fine with a QO on both JT and Schwarber. I think JT would decline. Schwarber probably shouldn’t. The market for mid 30s DHs isn’t great.
Some guys decline before they’re 30. Some don’t hit the wall until 39. Schwarber does not look like an early decline to me, he looks like an age 39. He just has slow foot speed. The rest of him is in excellent shape and he was always slow of foot. I don’t see any decline.
I’d see nothing wrong with $40M/2. I don’t think I’d go to a 3rd year at his age.
4 years ago…
Hindsight…
Castellanos for 4 years
Schwarber for 5 years.
Phillies would be in a much better position today roster wise.
Chicago still loves ya schwarbs. Always welcome home. Cubs legend,long lasting great memories. Dude still crushes balls.
He wants to stay here. He absolutely knows he needs to be able to play in the field on occasion to make that possible. Love seeing him step up and say let me play the field. Schwarbs is a true baseball warrior. If he doesn’t resign in Philly, I think he ends up with the Kansas City Royals, Detroit Tigers or Pittsburgh Pirates – a young team that needs a Schwarber type leader and HR hitter to potentially put them over the top in their division.
Staying in Philadelphia is vital to Schwarber. Since he moved there, he’s saved 30% on his car insurance.
Schwarber is Adam Dunn. Bad defense, low batting average and lots of strike outs. On the other hand…lots of homers, lots of walks, lots of runs scored and batted in. You take the good with the bad and good typically out weighs the bad. You can count on all of it.
Career .344 hitter in the minors, .230 in the majors. Crazy how different the true top level is. I thought he was going to be Freddie freeman minus the defense but .300/.400/.500. Maybe he is if he didn’t miss a whole prime development year tearing himself up in the of.
As a Phillies Phan, I love Kyle, but I’m not a Fan of an Early Extension. He is an extremely liability in that he can only DH (He is terrible in the OF and 1B). Thus if another key player is injured so they can only hit and not field, it puts the team in a bind. (Think Harper a couple years ago…)
He is also hitting the age where players begin their decline. I would be open to revisit the matter next off-season, but I don’t want to get too far ahead of things..