Phillies Officially Extend Qualifying Offers to Kyle Schwarber, Ranger Suarez

The Philadelphia Phillies officially extended qualifying offers to their two star free agents.

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With the MLB offseason underway, the Philadelphia Phillies will have to make some tough decisions.

Two of them are going to feature what to do with Kyle Schwarber and Ranger Suarez, the star slugger and elite starting pitcher who have been key parts of this successful era of Phillies baseball. But after both put together strong seasons ahead of their impending free agencies, there's a chance the duo will get priced out of Philadelphia's range.

Schwarber is the most likely to return, though. Not only has he been one of the best power hitters in the league since he signed with the Phillies, but Suarez is seen as more expendable because there are some high-profile pitching prospects on the doorstep of making the majors.

But as Philadelphia weighs things and figures out their options, they also did the smart thing by extending qualifying offers to Schwarber and Suarez.

Thirteen players were tendered qualifying offers Thursday, sources tell ESPN.

Chicago Cubs outfielder Kyle Tucker
Philadelphia designated hitter Kyle Schwarber
Toronto shortstop Bo Bichette
Houston left-hander Framber Valdez
San Diego right-hander Dylan Cease
Philadelphia…

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) November 6, 2025

The qualifying offer figure is $22.025 million. Players can choose to accept it and return to their teams for one more year or they can turn down that offer and become free agents. Once those players hit the open market, if they choose to sign elsewhere, then their former teams will get draft pick compensation.

So, for the Phillies, they would get awarded two draft picks in this scenario if both Schwarber and Suarez leave once they turn down the qualifying offer. If just one departs and one re-signs, then only one draft pick would be compensated. And if both return to Philadelphia, then they would not receive any draft capital at all.

There are also penalties for teams that sign players who rejected a qualifying offer, as teams that are luxury tax payers will lose two picks and $1 million in international bonus pool funds, while revenue-sharing recipients and clubs that aren't in either of those categories would lose only one draft pick.

How This Impacts Phillies

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Simply put, this is a way for the Phillies to protect themselves in case they aren't able to re-sign both players. Instead of losing Schwarber or Suarez for nothing, the team would at least get back draft pick compensation.

It also could deter teams from going after both players. Because Schwarber and Suarez are two of the hottest names in free agency this year, the penalty for signing them after they were extended a qualifying offer could cause some teams to balk.

Beyond that, this doesn't do a whole lot for Philadelphia. Both players will almost assuredly turn down the offer, so they will need to be retained in free agency like everyone expected all along.

How This Impacts Kyle Schwarber and Ranger Suarez

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The deadline to accept or reject the qualifying offer is Nov. 18. Players can do so before then, too. While both Schwarber and Suarez are expected to reject this offer, if they accepted, they would get paid an average of the top 125 salaries in Major League Baseball, which is that $22.025 million number.

Despite the penalties other teams would get for signing either player, that shouldn't impact their market a whole lot. They are two of the most coveted free agents out there, so they should have plenty of suitors.