After the 2025 season, several Philadelphia Phillies players will be available for free agency. Ranger Suarez, JT Realmuto, and, most significantly, Kyle Schwarber are free agents after 2025.
While maintaining all three does not appear possible or realistic, the Phillies may decide to keep two, with Realmuto (owing to the paucity of catcher positions) and Schwarber the most likely candidates.
Almost everyone in Philadelphia wants Schwarber to stay with the Phillies, and according to Buster Olney and Paul Hembekides of ESPN, the Phillies may have an easier job keeping him than previously anticipated.
Schwarber Might Not Have as Strong a Free Agent Market as Expected
The Phillies will face competition for Schwarber in free agency, with the Cincinnati Reds, Schwarber’s hometown team, expected to make one of the most tempting offers this summer. However, as Olney and Hembekides point out, Schwarber’s market may be less robust due to his outstanding performance this season.
“I told to you (Hembekides) the feedback I’ve been getting from front offices,” Olney said. “Various individuals predicting the figures for me, it’s like 90 to 120 (million). “A DH makes $30 million per year, which is a lot of money.”
The range of $90 to $120 million for Schwarber’s next deal isn’t quite as high as many have projected. He is 32 years old and only plays as a designated hitter. According to Olney, teams are reluctant to spend more beyond $30 million every year.
In Hembekides’ Twitter/X post, which posted this clip, his final written line is common for the Phillies. “Schwarbs is brilliant,” he adds, “but teams aren’t dying to shell out massive deals to DHs in their thirties.”
The Rafael Devers deal is a fantastic example of how this approach is applied. Some general managers and front office professionals praised the Boston Red Sox for dealing Devers, arguing that paying such a high salary for a designated hitter is excessive.
While the Giants have struggled since the Devers trade, they are presently not far behind the New York Mets for the final wild card place. He’s also been one of their most effective hitters since the move.
If teams are scared off Schwarber because his contract is likely to be worth more than $30 million per year, as Hembekides and Olney report, that’s wonderful news for the Phillies.
With less competition, they will have a better chance of keeping Schwarber. With the remainder of the team’s structure, the Phillies can more than make a $30 million per year deal work for Schwarber, particularly after 2026, when Nick Castellano’s contract expires.
It’s a very optimistic story for the Phillies, as the opportunity to bring back a core member of their club, who leads the NL in home runs with 49 and MLB in RBIs with 119, appears to be well within reach, owing to opponents’ fear of the massive contract Schwarber would receive in the offseason.