Kyle Schwarber stays with
Philadelphia Phillies, agrees to $150 million, 5-year contract
[December 10, 2025]
By RONALD BLUM
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Kyle Schwarber is staying with the Philadelphia
Phillies, agreeing Tuesday to a $150 million, five-year contract.
Schwarber set career bests this year with a National League-leading
56 homers and a major league-high 132 RBIs along with a .240 batting
average and .928 OPS. He scored a career-high 111 runs as he led the
club to its second straight NL East title.
Schwarber’s 23 homers against left-handed pitching set a major
league record for a lefty batter, surpassing 22 by Stan Musial in
1949 and Matt Olson in 2021.
“The body’s gotten better over time,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson
said earlier Tuesday. “He’s in the best shape of his life right now,
and I don’t think that that’s going to change. He’s so intelligent.
He sees the game a little bit different than a lot of other guys,
and he works at it, watches a lot of film.
“I think there’s a really good chance that he’s going to maintain
this level. I mean, this was an unbelievable year for him. So I
don’t think we can expect this every year, but I still think he’s
going to be a high-level performer,” Thomson added.
Schwarber won this year’s All-Star Game for the NL with three homers
in a tiebreaking swing-off, and he finished second in NL MVP voting
behind Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani.
The 32-year-old Schwarber rejected a $22,025,000 qualifying offer
from Philadelphia in November.
“There’s very few people in my career that I’ve had when you look at
him and say that is a genuine leader of your team that brings
everything together,” Phillies president of baseball operations Dave
Dombrowski said. “The way they work, the way they play, the way they
handle themselves day in and day out, the way they treat their
teammates, the way they bring you together. And he’s one of those
guys.”
Dombrowski and the Phillies also are focused on retaining others
among their players who became free agents, a group that includes
catcher J.T. Realmuto, left-hander Ranger Suárez and outfielder
Harrison Bader.
Schwarber grew up in southwest Ohio before playing his college ball
at Indiana. He was selected by the Chicago Cubs with the No. 4 pick
in the 2014 amateur draft.
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Philadelphia Phillies' Kyle Schwarber connects for a double during
the first inning in Game 4 of baseball's National League Division
Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Oct. 9, 2025, in Los
Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
He was at the beginning of his second year with Chicago in 2016 when
he tore two ligaments in his left knee in an outfield collision
during an April game in Arizona. It was believed to be a
season-ending injury, but he returned for Game 1 of the World Series
and helped the Cubs to the franchise’s first championship since
1908.
Schwarber is a .234 hitter with 23 homers and 37 RBIs in 73 career
playoff games. He went deep twice in the NL Division Series this
year against the Dodgers.
Schwarber hit 38 homers for Chicago in 2019, but he was non-tendered
by the team after he batted just .188 in 59 games during the
pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
He signed a $10 million, one-year contract with Washington in
January 2021. After clubbing 25 homers in 72 games for the
Nationals, he was traded to Boston at the deadline. He helped the
Red Sox reach the AL Championship Series before they were eliminated
by Houston.
Following his rebound season, Schwarber signed a $79 million,
four-year deal with Philadelphia in March 2022. He flourished with
the Phillies, belting 187 homers and driving in 434 runs in 627
games.
He hit his 300th homer on May 19 at Colorado and got his 1,000th hit
with his 319th homer on July 25 at the New York Yankees.
___
AP Baseball Writer Jay Cohen contributed to this report.
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