There isn’t a player in MLB who is, without question, more intimidating in the batter’s box than Kyle Schwarber – and he could be had this offseason.
Schwarber, who posted a career-best 4.7 WAR this season with the Philadelphia Phillies, is arguably the top player on the MLB free agent market and raking like nobody’s business of late. This season, he led the National League in home runs (56) and RBIs (132) and has been a terror from the left side of the plate over his four seasons with the Phillies (2022-25).
While the Phillies figure to make a concerted effort to keep the star slugger in Philadelphia, one also figures that several other teams will make heavy pursuits of their own for Schwarber. On that note, here are the three best fits for Schwarber should he depart Philadelphia.
Kyle Schwarber has averaged 46.8 home runs per season since 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)
Yes, the Reds just made the playoffs for the first time in five years, but this is a club that needs more oomph if it’s going to be a threat in the National League Central. Bringing Schwarber back home should be at the top of Cincinnati’s mind.
Schwarber, who grew up roughly 45 minutes outside Cincinnati in Middletown, Ohio, would be a godsend for the Reds, providing an elite power hitter to a lineup that was just 21st in both home runs (167) and slugging percentage (.391) last season. Moreover, Schwarber would be an impactful, veteran complement for a young Reds’ positional nucleus, which is headlined by Elly De La Cruz, Noelvi Marte, Spencer Steer and Matt McLain, among others.
Of course, any team that signs Schwarber is likely doing so with the intention of him being their designated hitter. In Cincinnati’s case, signing Schwarber theoretically locks in some combination of Marte, TJ Friedl, Austin Hays (if re-signed) and Will Benson in its starting outfield. While having a fixture in the designated hitter slot hinders a team’s positional flexibility, Schwarber’s impact bat offsets, if not overrides, that concern for the Reds.
What could stop Schwarber from playing close to home, though, is the likelihood that he wants to play for a team that can contend; while Cincinnati won 83 games and has a stellar starting rotation, it likely needs two impact bats to climb the ladder in 2026.
Kyle Schwarber has 23 career postseason home runs in 73 games. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
Texas needs a spark, and Schwarber fits the bill in a profound way.
Just two years ago, the Rangers were celebrating their first World Series triumph in franchise history. Now, they’ve missed the playoffs in back-to-back seasons and manager Bruce Bochy is gone, with Skip Schumaker named as his replacement. Texas was just 26th in MLB in both on-base percentage at .302 and slugging percentage at .381 last season. Schwarber? He ranked in the 100th percentile of MLB in hard-hit percentage, 99th percentile in barrel percentage and 98th percentile in average exit velocity, per Statcast.
The one constant for the Rangers has been talent. Young, homegrown players like Josh Jung, Josh Smith and Evan Carter still have the upside to become reliable, everyday players like Wyatt Langford. This team’s problem is proven stars like Corey Seager, Adolis Garcia and Marcus Semien being held back by injuries in recent years.
Schwarber becomes the featured bat in the top-third of the Rangers’ order, and if one of the aforementioned veterans can play a full season and one, if not two of their young infielders make a jump, their outlook changes drastically. If Texas is even a middle-of-the-pack offense, it could win the AL West. Why? They had arguably the best starting rotation in the sport last season, as Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi and Jack Leitler led a starting staff that posted an MLB-best 3.41 ERA.
Texas would be a great landing spot for Schwarber. There’s just a team that he would move the needle for a tad more.
Kyle Schwarber is a three-time All-Star. (Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images)
Think he’ll get booed for this?
Oh, most definitely, Schwarber would be booed out of Citizens Bank Park if he leaves the Phillies for the NL East-rival Braves, but from a sheer fit point of view, he’s perfect for Atlanta.
The Braves just missed the playoffs for the first time in eight years and haven’t won a playoff series since the 2021 World Series. In thought, that set of circumstances screams “it’s time to rebuild.” But that’s just not the roster that Atlanta has assembled. This is a team that won 100-plus games in back-to-back seasons in 2022 and 2023 and has been ravaged by injuries ever since, with the likes of Ronald Acuna Jr., Austin Riley, Sean Murphy and Spencer Strider all missing significant time.
With Marcell Ozuna hitting the open market, Schwarber would become Atlanta’s designated hitter, giving them an overwhelming hitter with a compact swing. With this offense at full strength, it’ll once again be among the elite units in the sport. The Braves have the talent to sport a top-five offense, starting rotation and bullpen. But they need a boost, and signing Schwarber would be a tangible indication that Atlanta expects to get back to competing for both the NL East and the NL pennant.
It makes more sense for the Braves to operate with a bullish mentality than to be sellers this offseason, especially considering how just one team in the NL East made the 2025 postseason: Schwarber is the spark that the Braves need.
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