ORLANDO, Fla. — On Tuesday morning, Kyle Schwarber walked into a deli in Philadelphia and ordered an egg sandwich with sausage and bacon.
Recognized immediately, the affable slugger posed for pictures and chatted with staff. Eventually, somebody brought up the elephant in the City of Brotherly Love.
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“You’re sticking around, right?”
Schwarber laughed and nodded, informing the small gaggle of employees that yes, he is indeed sticking around. Three hours later, the news broke beyond the Middle Child sandwich shop on South 11th Street, with ESPN’s Jeff Passan reporting that Schwarber and the Phillies had agreed to a five-year, $150 million contract.
While interest in the three-time All-Star was significant, with the Orioles, Red Sox, Pirates, Mets and Reds making real pushes, a reunion in Philadelphia always felt like the likeliest outcome. There was interest on Schwarber’s part in a return to the Cubs or a journey home to Cincinnati, but neither club was willing to make the necessary financial investment. And so, with deep-pocketed owner John Middleton leading the way, the Phillies simply went above and beyond to retain one of their most important players, who will now be in Philadelphia through his age-37 season.
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The stocky slugger, drafted fourth overall in 2014, burst onto the scene for the 2015 Cubs, becoming a main character of the franchise’s first World Series victory in more than a century. But Schwarber never unlocked his full potential on the North Side, and the Cubs non-tendered him after the shortened 2020 season. He rebuilt his value the following year after latching on with the Nationals, who traded him to Boston at the deadline.
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That bounce-back campaign earned Schwarber a four-year, $79 million deal with the Phillies ahead of 2022, a contract that turned out to be a huge bargain for the club. Only Aaron Judge hit more long balls than Schwarber over that span as the Phillies reached October in four consecutive seasons. More importantly, Schwarber progressively upgraded his offensive game year over year, revamping his approach against left-handed pitchers to solidify himself as one of the sport’s most fearsome hitters. It all culminated in an offensive season for the ages in 2025: 56 homers, a .928 OPS and a runner-up NL MVP finish.
Along the way, Schwarber established himself as a legitimate game-changing clubhouse presence. To call him integral to the operation in Philly would be an understatement. Schwarber is the team’s cultural glue, its guiding light and one of the few players in baseball whose interpersonal skills make a needle-moving impact on clubhouse chemistry. In a room full of well-paid stars, he’s the big dog.
Those off-field attributes certainly helped Schwarber on the open market. From a purely empirical, quantitative perspective, this new contract is a massive overpay. No team’s analytical model — not even the Phillies’ — would green-light a $150 million deal for a 33-year-old designated hitter. But clubs were clearly willing to push mountains of cash Schwarber’s way regardless.
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That’s a testament to just how imposing of a slugger he has become, his influence on a clubhouse and the belief that, as he ages, Schwarber will continue to get the most out of his skills. This is not a man eager to rest on his laurels. Nobody understands that reality more thoroughly than the Phillies.
This move checks off the biggest box on president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski’s to-do list, but the Phillies’ offseason is far from complete. Longtime backstop J.T. Realmuto remains a free agent. Ace Zack Wheeler won’t be ready on Opening Day, creating a temporary opening in the starting rotation. The bullpen could use another arm or two. Outfielder Nick Castellanos will either be traded via salary dump or released; as such, the outfield alignment remains uncertain.
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But the largest uncertainty of Philly’s winter is officially settled. It is yet another sign that this team is pot-committed to much of the current roster. While the Mets have chosen to offload stalwarts (Brandon Nimmo) or let them leave in free agency (Edwin Díaz), the Phillies are staying the course, going down with the ship. Whether this era of Phillies baseball ends with a parade will hinge on a very familiar cast of characters: Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola and, of course, Schwarber.
Considering how important Schwarber has become to the entire operation, it was always going to end this way.
