The Brilliance of Kyle Schwarber's 2026 Season So Far for Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies made a brilliant call re-signing Kyle Schwarber.

May 30, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber (12) talks to reporters prior to a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

When the 2025 season came to a close, the Philadelphia Phillies made it clear that re-signing All-Star slugger Kyle Schwarber was a priority.

They made that point clear by signing the designated hitter to a five-year, $150 million deal. That's a big number, especially for a 33-year-old designated hitter. But the Phillies clearly see immense value in him and have been rewarded so far.

Schwarber has played in 58 games for the Phillies and has 23 homers, 40 RBIs, and .233/.351/.598 slash line .950. His 23 homers, .598 slugging percentage, and .950 OPS are all leading the National League. What Schwarber is doing this season is almost insane to think about. Schwarber has 23 homers in 58 games played. That's a pace of 64 homers across 162 games. Now, of course, he's not going to play 162 games this season. He's missed three games so far this season, so his highest possible total for games played would be 159. Right now, he would be on pace for 63 homers in 159 games, if he doesn't miss another contest.

That's just ridiculous and should give clubs around baseball more reason to invest in sluggers, even in their early 30s. Over the last few years, free agency has been a bit odd. The guys at the top of the market get taken care of, of course. Guys like Juan Soto, Shohei Ohtani, and Kyle Tucker sping to mind. If you're the biggest name in a given free agent class, you're fine.

The Phillies Made The Right Call

May 30, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber (12) walks back to the dugout after striking out against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the first inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

For Schwarber, he was in the top tier, but there were questions with him because of his age and lack of defensive upside. Still, the Phillies love him and went against the mold and invested heavily in him. He got the $150 million deal at 32 years old. He has gotten better with age. His first contract with the Phillies back ahead of the 2022 season was $79 million over four years. The Phillies were willing to go longer and for more money now, despite his age.

Today's Major League Baseball relies heavily on analytics, more than ever before. If you break down the analytics, they would likely steer a club away from a $150 million designated hitter who just turned 33 years old. But the Phillies stuck with their guy. Other teams around the league should follow this approach.

One team in particular that went a different route this past offseason was the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox are heavily analytical. There was a time when they were connected to Schwarber, but they didn't even end up making an offer.

The Red Sox also missed out on Pete Alonso because of a bad offer and let Alex Bregman walk. Right now, the Phillies are 32-29 and the Red Sox are 26-34. On paper, the Schwarber deal may not age perfectly, but the Phillies are a better team in large part because of it. If Boston had him, it would of course be a better team than it is now.