It’s no secret that last year’s All-Star Game MVP, slugger Kyle Schwarber, is a sought-after free agent who has multiple teams, such as the Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs and the Philadelphia Phillies bidding for his services.
Schwarber, who next season will be 33 years of age, is coming off a career season with the Phillies, which saw this outfielder/designated hitter lead the National League with 56 home runs while winning the NL RBI title with 132.
According to recent rumors, as the winter meetings take place this week in Orlando, Florida, one team who have shown great interest in signing Schwarber are the Cincinnati Reds.
Schwarber Drawing Interest from the NL Central
Cincinnati Reds among teams competing for Schwarber’s services
Coming off a season which saw Schwarber finish as the NL MVP runner-up, this veteran free agent slugger has also drawn interest from the New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles. But the surprising team are the Reds.
When the topic of heavily pursuing Schwarber was brought up to Reds owner Nick Krall he was pretty evasive and didn’t show his cards as he replied, “I’m not going to speculate on any free agent in general. But look, he’s a really good player who obviously had a really good year, and…who knows?”
The problem for Cincinnati comes down to economics, as the big slugger will be looking for a four or five-year contract worth up to $30 million per year.
A big reason why Schwarber has some interest in playing for the Reds is that he is from Middletown, Ohio, so there’s that appeal of returning close to home to play, It’s said that Schwarber is intrigued in signing with the Reds but not at a hometown discount.
Still, according to various baseball insiders, they predict he will end up re-signing with the Phillies.
“Signing Schwarber, who grew up in Middleton, Ohio, would shock baseball and be a game-changer for the Reds offence and their clubhouse,” Athletics Jim Bowden wrote. “I think he probably returns to the Phillies, but I can wish this for Reds fans, can’t I?”
Number one priority for Phillies is to re-sign Schwarber
Despite the rumors about Schwarber being intrigued about playing for the Reds, baseball insiders are still saying that the veteran slugger will probably end up re-signing with the Phillies.
If the Phillies can’t reach a deal with Schwarber, then they are said to be targeting former New York Yankees free agent outfielder Cody Bellinger, who is coming off a 29-home run, 98 RBI season. Bellinger, who is 30 years-old, bats left-handed and has played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs and last season the Yankees. This two-time Silver Slugger Award winner (2019, 2023), had his best season in 2019 when he slugged 47 home runs while producing 115 RBI’s with the Dodgers to win the NL MVP along with the NL Silver Slugger Award, NL MVP, NL Gold Glove Award (outfield) and NL All-MLB First Team.
Another valuable free agent outfielder is former Cub Kyle Tucker, who last year had 22 home runs along with 73 RBI’s and a respectable .266 batting average.
Pirates making a pitch for Schwarber
The Pittsburgh Pirates have never been known as a team who have given out lucrative contracts to superstar players. That being said, baseball fans might be shocked to learn that the Pirates have according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic made an offer to Schwarber. The offer is reported to be a four year deal worth north of 100 million.
In the Pirates’ franchise history, the most lucrative free agent deal they have given out was during the 2014 off-season when they re-signed southpaw starting pitcher Francisco Liriano to a three-year $39 million-dollar deal.
The first season after re-signing, Liriano went a respectable 12-7 with a 3.38 ERA along with 205 strikeouts in 186.2 innings pitched.
Liriano would start the 2016 season with Pittsburgh where he struggled with a 6-11 record along with an inflated 5.46 ERA and 116 strikeouts in 1132/3 innings before being dealt on August 1st to the Toronto Blue Jays.
Meanwhile, it would be quite the story if Schwarber returned home to play with the Reds. You can bet that Cincinnati fans are sitting on pins and needles waiting until the slugger makes his decision on where to play.
Main Image: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
