Jul 19, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Kyle Schwarber (12) comes out of the dugout for a curtin call after his grand slam during the sixth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Sometimes, it's easy to forget that Kyle Schwarber has only been a Phillie for three-and-a-half seasons.
If Bryce Harper has his druthers, Schwarber will be here for much longer.
"He's one of the best teammates I've ever been around and one of the better guys I've ever played with," Harper said. "I can't see him in any other uniform and I think he deserves to be here."
Bryce Harper to @destiny_lugardo on Kyle Schwarber’s future: “I can’t see him in any other uniform, and I think he deserves to be here.” pic.twitter.com/7je5RiYVPj
All the glowing praise of Schwarber was raining down after he hit a go-ahead grand slam in the sixth inning that led to a 9-5 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday.
It was Schwarber's 32nd homer of the season. It's the fastest he's ever hit 32 homers in a season, besting his 2022 output by 10 days.
At this rate, he's going to break the bank with his next contract. Everyone in Philadelphia - from the stands, to the clubhouse, to the broadcast booth - hope that contract is signed right here.
Heck, even managing partner John Middleton had said a day earlier that the Phillies "... love him and we want to keep him."
But you know when Harper says it, that's when the weight of the words is the heaviest.
Just flash back to when he publicly petitioned the Phillies to give J.T. Realmuto a new contract back in 2020.
How'd that end up?
Harper's influence led to the original signing of both Schwarber and Nick Castellanos as free agents prior to the start of the 2022 season. Harper is a big reason why Trea Turner was added a year later.
Many joke that Harper is the assistant general manager.
"Yeah, I think management knows that and I think Dombo (President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski) knows that as well," Harper said when asked if it would be hard to imagine the Phillies without Schwarber. "He's been great for us. He's our leader."
That's Harper, the face of the franchise, calling Schwarber the team's leader. That should speak volumes.
Schwarber is due to become a free agent as soon as the season ends. Assuming he continues the torrid pace that he is on, he'll likely finish with the best season of his career, and be facing a great payday - even though he's pretty much a full-time DH.
The Phillies know they'll have to pay him to keep him. Letting any All-Star caliber player reach free agency is playing with fire. Another team - maybe a team like the Chicago Cubs - could swoop in and woo him back to where he broke into the majors, and the Phillies would lose him.
But, it seems more and more like Schwarber is the one calling the shots on the timing of potential negotiations to sign a new deal.
"To be honest with you, it's probably something that you just wait til the end [of the season]," Schwarber said when asked about possibly re-signing with the Phillies in-season. "You just want to feel like you are pouring everything you have into your team and you don't want to be distracted by anything else. ... You would do everyone a disservice where you would be thinking about something else besides trying to help these guys in here win."
Don't let that be viewed as a noncommittal response by Schwarber.
Players who are looking forward to their next venture don't often speak as wistfully about the place they currently play if their hearts tend to be pointing them elsewhere.
And Schwarber had a lot of good to say about the Phillies as an organization, as a team, and it's fans.
There seems to be a consensus around Philadelphia — from fans to Bryce Harper — that Kyle Schwarber needs to be re-signed. @TimKellySports asked Schwarber what that means to him. pic.twitter.com/Z17SDuz9RL
"The relationships that you make within the clubhouse and the people here - those are things that you are not going to forget when baseball is all said and done and you are home sitting on your couch figuring out what the heck you are going to do next," Schwarber said. "I feel like this place has embraced me. My teammates. The staff. The fanbase. It's been a great three-and-a-half years now that you don't ever take that for granted."
His manager sure as heck doesn't.
Rob Thomson on Kyle Schwarber: “Thank God we got him … he’s really something.”
(Via @TimKellySports) pic.twitter.com/gXldf0XRl5
"It seems like there's a moment every other night," Thomson said. "There's a lot of moments. Thank God we've got him. He's really something. ... I don't know where we'd be without him."
Schwarber's grand slam was one of the biggest moments of the season, and caused Citizens Bank Park to erupt in a way that is usually reserved for October and not mid-July.
Kyle Schwarber: Home Run Hitter 🔥 pic.twitter.com/LHyk9Wklx1
After the game, while Schwarber was being interviewed as the Player of the Game, Phillies color analyst John Kruk had some effusive accolades for Schwarber as well.
KYLE SCHWARBER STUNS IN POSTGAME INTERVIEW AFTER HITTING THE GO AHEAD GRAND SLAM pic.twitter.com/0T6RM9yLPv
"As someone who has played in this city and loves this city and the fanbase, I want to say that you represent this city as well as anyone I've ever seen in a Phillies uniform," Kruk said. "And we appreciate that. Us old farts appreciate that."
Old or young. Ownership or teammates. Everyone wants Schwarber to remain a part of the fabric of Philadelphia. And it sounds like he likes it here enough to stay.
But will he? Or will moments like Saturday night become nothing more than nostalgia?
Check back in November.
