The market for Kyle Schwarber is taking shape ahead of baseball’s annual Winter Meetings next week.
Re-signing the 32-year-old slugger is said to be a priority for the Phillies, but sources told MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki last week that no deal was close between the two sides. As a result, the door is open for another club to swoop in, and one of Philadelphia’s biggest rivals has emerged as a possible landing spot.
According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the Mets are “in the mix” for Schwarber, who finished second in the voting for the 2025 National League Most Valuable Player Award after hitting 56 homers in 2025. On paper, he’s an obvious fit for New York. The club needs power after Pete Alonso opted out, it just traded one of its top left-handed bats in Brandon Nimmo and the DH spot is open with Starling Marte also a free agent.
That said, if their price tags are similar, it might make more sense for the Mets to simply re-sign Alonso. He’s not only the franchise’s all-time home run leader and a fan favorite but also wouldn’t cost the Mets Draft compensation. After Schwarber turned down Philadelphia’s qualifying offer, the Mets would have to forfeit multiple Draft picks as well as $1 million from their international bonus pool to sign him. Accordingly, it’s fair to wonder whether New York’s interest is primarily a strategic move, both to drive up Schwarber’s price tag for the Phillies and gain more leverage while negotiating with Alonso.
Of course, the two NL East clubs are far from the only Schwarber suitors. There’s also the Red Sox, who already checked off one major need with their trade for starter Sonny Gray and are now looking for a middle-of-the-order bat. While the Red Sox would prefer to land a righty hitter — they could re-sign Alex Bregman or pursue Alonso — Schwarber “is strongly in the mix” for Boston, according to MLB Network insider Jon Heyman in an article for the New York Post (subscription required).
Then there’s the Reds, who’d give Schwarber the opportunity to play close to his hometown of Middletown, Ohio. Cincinnati has never signed a free agent for more than $64 million, but after making the postseason in 2025, the club could be motivated to spend more aggressively this winter to maximize its chances of contending while it has a stable of promising young arms under control.
In any case, the Schwarber sweepstakes could reach a resolution relatively soon. In Passan’s view, it would be a surprise if he didn’t have a deal in place by the end of the Winter Meetings.
