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Philadelphia Phillies superstar designated hitter Kyle Schwarber isn’t expected to win the National League’s Most Valuable Player award winner this year. However, the fact that he gave two-way star Shohei Ohtani a run for his money shows how dominant his 2025 season was. More news: Shohei Ohtani Sends Clear Message to Dodgers Fans After World Series Win Schwarber put together a historic 2025 campaign, slashing .240/.365/.563 with a National-League-leading 56 home runs and MLB-leading 132 runs batted in. He shattered his previous career-bests of 47 home runs and 104 RBIs. Now, Schwarber has put himself in position to cash in on the open market. Even as a full-time designated hitter, Schwarber will be highly sought-after as a player who can impact the game with just his bat. The big question heading into this offseason is what Schwarber will be worth. Many teams don’t want to pay for someone who can only DH, while some — such as the Dodgers — wouldn’t have a spot for Schwarber. LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 08: Kyle Schwarber #12 of the Philadelphia Phillies reacts after hitting a solo home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the fourth inning in game three of the National League Division Series at Dodger Stadium on October 08, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) The Athletic’s Tim Britton looked at some other past contracts to give a proper projection for Schwarber, which he has at five years and $145 million. “When Schwarber signed his last free-agent deal, a DH had never won the MVP nor earned more than $22 million per season. Shohei Ohtani helps things. Obviously, Ohtani wasn’t signed just to DH, but his MVP campaign in 2024 established a higher value on the position than existed before. And Schwarber was significantly more valuable himself in 2025 than ever before,” Britton wrote, before deciding that J.D. Martinez’s contract with the Boston Red Sox in 2018 is a good comparison. “The in-his-prime deal that J.D. Martínez signed with the Red Sox in 2018 for that aforementioned $22 million per year. Like Schwarber, Martínez was coming off the best stretch of his career — 29 homers in 62 games with the Diamondbacks. Updating that contract for 2026 pushes the money close to $29 million per season. Schwarber could surpass $30 million on a shorter-term deal, but I think he can get to five years at the Martínez money.” More news: Dodgers Officially Release Ex-Yankees Pitcher After Disappointing Season The Phillies said all the right things about Schwarber after the season: “We’d love to bring Kyle Schwarber back. It’s a priority for us. He knows it. But he’s a free agent, and you never know what happens,” president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said. However, money talks, and it remains to be seen if the two sides reach a deal or if Schwarber is forced to look elsewhere for the payday he’s earned. For all the latest MLB news and rumors, head over to Newsweek Sports
