Kyle Schwarber Had One Major Concern About Signing With the Reds

The Cincinnati Reds are set to host the Philadelphia Phillies for a three-game series, starting on Tuesday night.

Ahead of Tuesday's series opener, Kyle Schwarber spoke to the media and was asked a couple of questions about the Reds trying to acquire him in free agency this past offseason.

According to a report from The Cincinnati Enquirer, Kyle Schwarber's conversations with the Reds during free agency went beyond contract terms. Schwarber wanted to better understand the organization's long-term vision, including its approach to the trade deadline and its commitment to retaining homegrown stars like Elly De La Cruz.

“Those are questions that you want to try to have a picture of,” Schwarber said. “They might not even know at that point yet. A team might not know that.”

The report also noted that Schwarber had concerns about how he might be perceived in his hometown if either he or the team struggled during his tenure in Cincinnati. It's an understandable consideration for any player returning home, especially one expected to become the face of a franchise.

With the Reds unable to get Schwarber to Cincinnati, they settled for JJ Bleday, Nathaniel Lowe, and Eugenio Suarez. While Lowe and Bleday have been good on cheap contracts, Suarez has been subpar in his return to the organization, slashing just .206/.281/.362 with 18 extra-base hits and just eight home runs.

Whether Schwarber actually considered signing with the Reds will always be up for debate, but all reports said that the Reds were never willing to match Philadelphia's offer.

The slugger is headed back to the All-Star Game and leads Major League Baseball with 30 home runs.

Tejay Antone Joins MLB Central

Jul 5, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds pitcher Tejay Antone (70) throws against the Baltimore Orioles in the eighth inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

When Tejay Antone took the ball for the Reds this season, he came just the third known pitcher to come back from three major elbow surgeries.

On Tuesday, Antone joined MLB Central to discuss his new book, coming from Tommy John surgery, and more.

"Whenever it happened, I wasn't even sure I wanted to go through it all again," Antone said.

Antone has been one of Cincinnati's best relievers this season. In 26 games and 26 innings, he has an ERA of just 2.42, a WHIP of 0.932, and 24 strikeouts compared to just seven walks.

He recently wrote a book called "The Tommy John Protocol" that he wrote to give kids and players advice on how to come back from major surgery.

"As I went forward and as I prayed about it, I thought it would be really cool if I could make it back from a third one. There are a lot of kids that simply go through one Tommy John surgery. Baseball has been such an opportunity for me. If I could just help one kid get back to playing at whatever level he's at, I thought it would be such a good opportunity to lend some advice to kids."

In a down season, Antone has been an awesome story for the Reds.

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