The Philadelphia Phillies, like their NL East rivals the Atlanta Braves, are poised for substantial changes this summer. Kyle Schwarber is one player to keep an eye on. If the Phillies do say farewell, Bryce Harper is going to find it unusual.
“I was talking to somebody the other day,” Harper told MLB.com. “And I was thinking, ‘Man, it would be weird not to have [Schwarber] in our clubhouse.'” He’s such an effective leader. He’s such a kind person in the community. Wonderful family, wonderful individual. I believe he’s someone our team can grow around. Obviously, he’ll make a lot of money as a free agent. “He’ll be a very hot commodity on the market.”
The Phillies have already received a warning about Schwarber’s future.
“The Phillies should not sign Schwarber to another multi-year contract. Not signing him would affect the team’s offensive performance, and the executive management must devise a strategy to replace the home run hitter. However, what if they bring him back for several years and he starts to deteriorate? “Either decision carries some risk,” TBOH’s Matt Grazel noted. “This roster need significant modifications. While controversial and dangerous, Dombrowski’s choice not to re-sign Schwarber provides the best opportunity to freshen up the squad, which is critical at this stage.”
With free agency approaching, Schwarber has gotten yet another contract forecast.
“Spotrac projects a four-year $99.6 million contract for Schwarber, giving him an average annual value of $24.9 million,” Stephen Parello of Blog Red Machine said.
Schwarber has earned every penny of the salary he is likely to receive this offseason. In fact, he has had one of the finest bats in all of MLB in recent seasons. Even if the Phillies decide not to bring him back, another team is nearly guaranteed to pay the big money he will want.