Copyright Newsweek
Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber was one of the best players in all of baseball this season. He put together an MVP-caliber season, but will almost certainly fall short of winning the award because of Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani. But the Phillies are losing Schwarber to free agency and will likely need to sign him to a huge contract to retain him. CBS Sports' RJ Anderson recently projected Schwarber would sign a massive four-year, $104 million deal in free agency this offseason. "Schwarber is a tough button to button. He's a very good hitter, but it's all he does and he's nearing his 33rd birthday," Anderson wrote. "David Ortiz, perhaps the best contemporary comparison, never received more than a four-year contract past this point in his career. "I think Schwarber's camp can attempt to build a deal leveraging the pact Teoscar Hernández signed last winter with the Dodgers for three years and $66 million. (Said deal also included at least one option and another conditional one.) Schwarber is a better hitter than Hernández, so it's only just that he gets a slightly longer and more lucrative deal." The Phillies are bound to be the top suitor in the sweepstakes for Schwarber, but there are a few other suitors who could go after him. The Cincinnati Reds could make a run at the hometown star. Schwarber was born and raised in the Cincinnati area. They could certainly use his pop in the lineup. The Boston Red Sox are the other top suitor. If they miss out on Alex Bregman in free agency, they could pivot to a huge deal with Schwarber. His pop would fit perfectly in the Red Sox's lineup.
