Major League Baseball free agency is a time of wild trades and outlandish signings, with this winter set to be one for the record books. A few high-priced free agents, like Kyle Tucker and Pete Alonso, are set to sign lucrative contracts.
Another top free agent who will sign a contract north of $100 million this offseason is Kyle Schwarber. He is coming off the best season of his career, hitting the most home runs (56) and having his highest slugging percentage (.563), which will serve him well heading into free agency. Some teams are more likely to sign him over an Alonso or Tucker, given he’ll be much cheaper. Let’s look at three teams that should sign Schwarber this offseason.
The Phillies are the most obvious team to sign Schwarber, given that he was a key piece in their lineup in 2025. He batted behind leadoff hitter Trea Turner all season, and hit the second-most home runs in franchise history (Ryan Howard, 58 in 2006).
Hitting 187 home runs (12th all-time in franchise history) in his Phillies career and protecting Bryce Harper, Schwarber has helped the team make the playoffs each season since signing with it. He’s also become a valuable leader in the clubhouse.
The Reds made it into the playoffs in 2025 by the skin of their teeth and had a little help from the New York Mets, who had a historical collapse to allow the Reds to walk in. A team with a lot of talent, the Reds lack veteran leadership and someone “who has won before” to help them take the next step.
Schwarber’s hometown team adding him would give the Reds the power they severely lack (.391 slugging percentage), as they had no player hit over 25+ home runs in 2025. In a ballpark suited for home runs, Schwarber would give manager Terry Francona some flexibility in his lineup, as he can pencil him in at the top of his lineup to get on base (.346 career on-base percentage) and drive in runs (first in MLB, 132).
Drafted by the Cubs in the first round (fourth overall) in 2014 and helping to lead them to their first World Series since 1908 in 2016, signing Schwarber would be a much cheaper option for them than trying to re-sign Tucker, who could command somewhere north of $400+ million.
Losing Tucker will hurt the Cubs’ power numbers, as they ranked fourth in the National League for slugging percentage (.430) and third in home runs (223) in 2025. However, adding Schwarber’s 40-50+ home run potential to Michael Busch (34), Seiya Suzuki (32) and Pete Crow-Armstrong (31) would soften the blow of losing Tucker and further deepen Craig Counsell’s lineup.
Signing Schwarber would also allow the Cubs the runway to play their top prospect, Owen Caissie, every day, as Tucker blocked that from happening this past season.
Kyle Schwarber is likely to sign a deal north of $100 million this winter
Signing a four-year, $79 million deal with the Phillies heading into the 2022 season, Schwarber has outplayed that contract in spades. He will likely get the lucrative contract he desires, as well as the security of knowing it will also likely be a four- or five-year deal.
According to Spotrac, Schwarber is likely to sign a four-year deal worth around $99.6 million. Strictly a designated hitter who can occasionally play left field, teams will have to weigh whether his power numbers will age well and justify whether his lack of playing the field is worth signing him.
