MLB Insider Explains Why Reds Came Up Short in Kyle Schwarber Sweepstakes

The Kyle Schwarber saga came to an end on Tuesday morning when he decided to sign a five-year, $150 million deal to return to the Philadelphia Phillies.

ESPN.com's MLB insider, Jeff Passan, shared a reason why the Reds came up short in the end.

"Cincinnati, the dark horse because of its need for a power bat and its appeal to Schwarber -- who grew up about 30 minutes outside of the city -- did not meet the financial demands others were willing to," Passan wrote.

The Reds rarely have a player who "wants" to become a Cincinnati Red in free agency. For the Reds not to come up with an offer similar to what the Phillies offered seems ridiculous.

Charlie Goldsmith of Charlie's chalkboard reported that the Reds made an offer to Schwarber and felt like there was interest from his camp, but learned they were out of the negotiations early on Monday morning.

We all should have seen this coming after Nick Krall's comments about the ownership group on Monday.

“I think people look at every aspect where we can,"Nick Krall told Mark Sheldon. "Our ownership group puts everything back into the team every year. They try to figure out how to break even every year. That’s how we budget. We’re trying to figure out how to best utilize that budget for the big-league club.”

Their biggest need this offseason is offense, and Schwarber would have instantly become the biggest power bat in the lineup.

Instead, the Reds will likely have to look on the trade market or go bargain shopping to find offensive help for the 2026 season.

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