Pirates Outbid Phillies for Kyle Schwarber
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates lost out on landing Kyle Schwarber, but didn't go down without putting out a great offer for one of the best free agents this offseason
Schwarber re-signed with the Philadelphia Phillies on a five-year, $150 million deal, which pays him $30 million per season through the time he turns 39 years old.
Reports showed the Pirates made an offer for Schwarber in the same money, but a year shorter, but a more recent report showed that they offered more than the Phillies
Pirates Outbid Competition for Kyle Schwarber
Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reported that the Pirates offered a four-year, $125 million contract to Schwarber, which is $5 million more than Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic originally reported the Pirates' offer at four years, $120 million.
That would've made Schwarber's average salary at $31.25 million, or $1.25 million more per season compared to what he signed for with the Phillies.
Still, the fifth year proved crucial in the dealings and the Phillies keep one of the best home run hitters for the remainder of the decade.
Other Teams Come in Late for Schwarber
The Pirates weren't the only team that made an offer for Schwarber to try and bring him on as their signature bat in 2026.
Another small market team in the Baltimore Orioles had the same offer for Schwarber at five years, $150 million, which the Phillies matched after Schwarber's agent, Casey Close, called Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski on Dec. 8, according to Matt Gelb of The Athletic.
Rosenthal reported after Schwarber signed that the Cincinnati Reds made an offer of five years, $125 million, making the push for the hitter whose hometown of Middletown, Ohio is just 35 miles north of Great American Ball Park.
Other teams that had interest included the New York Mets and the Chicago Cubs, where Schwarber played his first six seasons from 2015-20.
Pirates Made Record Offer for Schwarber
This offer the Pirates gave to Schwarber was by far the biggest contract that they've offered anyone, free agent or their own player.
Pittsburgh is rarely a big spender in free agency, ranking towards the bottom five teams for Opening Day payroll in 16 of the 19 seasons under owner Bob Nutting.
The Pirates' record free agent signing is when they re-signed left-handed starting pitcher Francisco Liriano for three years, $39 million on Dec. 9, 2014, 11 years ago.
Pittsburgh hasn't signed a free agent to a multi-year deal since Dec. 27, 2016 in right-handed pitcher Iván Nova for three years, $26 million and a free agent position player to a multi-year deal since outfielder John Jason for two years, $8 million on Dec. 23, 2015, almost a decade ago.
The reported offer for Schwarber was $65 million more from the Pirates than what they gave to Liriano, showing a surprising willingness to spend this offseason.
It would have also served as just the second $100 million contract the Pirates have ever given out, as they signed outfielder Bryan Reynolds to an eight-year, $106.75 million extension on April 14, 2023.
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.