Slugger Schwarber Seeks Second Series Ring As Free Agency Beckons

Kyle Schwarber has the body of Daniel Vogelbach but the stats of Babe Ruth.

The burly left-handed hitter collected his career-best 53rd home run in Los Angeles Monday night as the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Dodgers, 6-5, to clinch their second straight National League East title.

A prospective free agent whose asking price increases with every clout, Schwarber leads the NL in home runs and the major leagues in runs batted in (128).

Low Average

The Phillies don’t care that his batting average is a pedestrian .244 – he walks so often that his on-base percentage is .371. He’s walked more than 100 times three years in a row, proving pitchers would rather give him one base than four bases.

Since coming to Philadelphia in 2022, the bearded DH is second in the majors in home runs and third in RBIs. He’s also blasted 12 post-season home runs, increasing his career total to 21.

He broke into the big leagues with the 2015 Cubs and won his only World Series ring a year later, going 7-for-17 against Cleveland to help Chicago end a 108-year-old championship drought.

Murderer’s Row

Now he’s the key cog in the Phillies lineup, sandwiched between Trea Turner (when healthy) and Bryce Harper in a National League version of the old Murderer’s Row spearheaded by Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.

“Making the playoffs isn’t easy,” he told Matt Gelb of The Athletic after the game at Chavez Ravine. “Playing meaningful games in September, that’s not easy. Meaningful baseball games in the World Series, the (championship series) and (division series), that’s not easy.

“I want to see where the hell we’re going to be at the end of this postseason. We should be proud of the baseball we’ve played for the last 3 1/2 years.”

A three-time All-Star used almost exclusively as a designated hitter (he’s also made eight starts in left field), Schwarber is virtually certain to be the top position player on the free-agent market this fall. He’s also certain to top his current $20 million salary – especially if he stages an upset over prohibitive favorite Shohei Ohtani in the voting for Most Valuable Player in the National League.

Likely Salary

Schwarber won’t match Ohtani’s 10-year, $700 million Dodger deal but he’s virtually certain to top the $32 million per annum given to Gioncarlo Stanton of the Yankees and the $31,500,000 paid to San Francisco DH Rafael Devers.

A free agent twice before, Schwarber signed with the Washington Nationals in 2021, went to the Boston Red Sox in a trade deadline deal that same season, and inked a Phillies pact during 2022 spring training.

Now the Phils are desperate to keep the affable and articulate Ohio native, who has cultivated a reputation as a clubhouse leader and terrific teammate.

Though he doesn’t run well or steal bases, he’s hit first or second in the Philadelphia lineup all season. Harper, a two-time MVP, usually hits behind him – helping Schwarber see more strikes. Hardly an all-or-nothing hitter, he’s selective at the plate and willing to take his walks.

At 5’11” tall and 229 pounds, he hardly resembles the physique of Ohtani or Aaron Judge, who have three MVPs each and are gunning to make it four apiece. But Schwarber won’t let size, shape, salary, or age (33 next March) hamper his hunt for a massive new contract.

That deal could come from the Phils, who pay six players more than Schwarber this season, or from other teams needing dynamic designated hitters. That includes the arch-rival Atlanta Braves, whose streak of six straight NL East titles was snapped by the Phillies in 2024 (aging Atlanta DH Marcell Ozuna, having a bad year, will also be a free agent).

Schwarber’s next contract is not his biggest concern at the moment; he knows the Phils will feel the pressure of performing well in the playoffs without star pitcher Zack Wheeler and perhaps Turner as well. While Wheeler will be sidelined until 2026 after thoracic outlet surgery on Sept. 23, Turner is hoping to return before the Sept. 28 end of the regular season after healing from a strained right hamstring.