Phillies Are Going To Have To Break the Bank To Bring Back Kyle Schwarber

The price tag for Kyle Schwarber is going to be an expensive one for the Philadelphia Phillies.

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The Philadelphia Phillies are benefitting greatly from the season that designated hitter Kyle Schwarber is putting together.

The decision by manager Rob Thomson to remove him as the leadoff hitter and place him in the cleanup spot has worked about as well as anyone could have hoped. He has been punishing baseballs all season, putting up some incredible numbers along the way. Through Sept. 5, he leads the National League with 49 home runs and is the MLB leader with 119 RBI.

Schwarber has thrust himself into the NL MVP discussion with how impressive he has looked at the plate. He has been the most consistent performer for the Phillies this season and is a big reason why they are atop the National League East with an 82-59 record, six games clear of the New York Mets. The 2025 MLB All-Star Game MVP picked a great time for a career campaign.

He is set to hit free agency once the season is over. Philadelphia is certainly happy with the production that he has provided, but it has come at a cost. If they are going to re-sign him, it is going to cost a lot of money.

Kyle Schwarber Readying for Unprecedented Free Agency

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Schwarber joined the Phillies ahead of the 2022 campaign, agreeing to a four-year, $79 million deal. Given his lack of impact outside of his bat, it seemed like a fair contract. All of his value is tied to hitting, but with how well he is doing in that regard, his price tag will be on the rise.

How much is it going to cost Philadelphia to bring him back? Paul Hembekides was on the ESPN Baseball Tonight podcast with MLB insider Buster Olney. Schwarber’s free agency was one of the topics they discussed.

Kyle Schwarber’s free-agent market is going to be a fascinating watch.
 
I say 3/100 or 4/120.⁰Buster is hearing 4/160–200 from some sources, 90–120 from others.
 
Schwarbs is brilliant, but teams aren’t dying to shell out massive deals to DHs in their thirties. pic.twitter.com/qTOknJi2X7

— Paul Hembekides (Hembo) (@PaulHembo) September 6, 2025

What is going to ensue will be unprecedented. Teams don’t normally line up to sign players who are going to be 33 years old on Opening Day in the first year of the contract that don’t offer any impact as a base runner or defender. Schwarber is strictly a designated hitter, but there are going to be some wild contract numbers thrown around.

Hembekides believes that his next contract is going to pay somewhere between $30-33.3 million annually. Either a three-year, $100 million contract will be signed or a four-year, $120 million pact. Olney has heard wide-ranging numbers as well.

$90-120 million has been mentioned, but there are sources who believe that offers will approach $40 million or even $50 million annually. Four-year offers worth $160 million and up to $200 million is what the MLB insider has heard.

Given the market that could exist for him, with MLB insider Jeff Passan of ESPN mentioning several potential suitors, a bidding war could certainly break out. That would be a worst-case scenario for the Phillies because it would mean his price tag rises exponentially. At this point, it seems like a safe bet to assume that Schwarber is going to land a contract that pays $30 million annually, at the very least, and potentially double the contract he signed four years ago.