Former Hoosier Kyle Schwarber Signs 1-Year Deal With Washington Nationals
BLOOMINGTON, Ind -- Let go by the Chicago Cubs this winter, former Indiana baseball great Kyle Schwarber has found a new team. Multiple reports say that Schwarber has agreed to a one-year, $10 million deal with the Washington Nationals, and Schwarber confirmed it via Twitter later on Saturday afternoon.
The 27-year-old Schwarber became a free agent in December after playing parts of six seasons with the Cubs. He was the fourth overall pick out of Indiana in 2014 and made his major-league debut a year later.
The Cubs, who reportedly lost more than $100 million last because of the COVID-19 disruptions to the season, have been cutting costs this summer, parting ways with several high-paid veterans.
Washington, which won the World Series in 2019 but struggled a year ago, was looking to add offense during the winter. They traded for first baseman Josh Bell and are now adding Schwarber on a risk-free short-term deal.
Schwarber struggled in 2020, striking out 66 times in 59 games and batting just .188 with 11 home runs in 59 games during the pandemic-shortened 60-game season.
Schwarber hit .230 with 121 home runs in 551 regular-season games with the Cubs, and was a postseason hero in both 2015 and 2016.
He hit .412 in five games as the Cubs' designated hitter in the 2016 World Series, which Chicago won in seven games over the Cleveland Indians. It was a Cinderella story because he had played only two regular season games that year after tearing up his knee in early April.
Schwarber, a Middletown, Ohio, native, played three years at Indiana from 2012 through 2014. He was a two-time first-team All-American and led the Hoosiers to their only College World Series appearance ever in 2013.
Related stories on Kyle Schwarber
- CUBS PART WAYS (Dec. 3): In a cost-saving measure, the Chicago Cubs have decided to move on from Kyle Schwarber, letting him go to become an unrestricted free agent. CLICK HERE
- MLB SUCCESS BENEFITS HOOSIERS: Current Indiana baseball coach Jeff Mercer talks about why it's helping so much to have seven pros like Kyle Schwarber representing Indiana so well in the major leagues. CLICK HERE