Jul 22, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber (12) rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the Boston Red Sox in the second inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
Phillies' managing partner John Middleton has once again reiterated, on the record, his desire to retain Kyle Schwarber beyond this season.
In an appearance on "Starkville" with Jayson Stark and Doug Glanville, Middleton was asked how big of a priority it is to re-sign Schwarber, who will become a free agent after this season.
"Huge," Middleton said without hesitation. "I mean, look, you've heard Dave [Dombrowski] make public statements — Dave doesn't do that very often. But he said, 'We need him, we want him, we love him, he's great.'
"...He's a wonderful person, as well as a wonderful player. So, we wanna keep him. And we will do everything we can to keep him. And that doesn't mean we're gonna be able to, but guarantee you we're gonna go down swinging. No one should question our sincerity in wanting to, and what we will do in order to keep him."
Even as someone who has been almost exclusively a DH this season, Schwarber has put himself into the NL MVP discussion with what's been the best campaign of his career. In Tuesday evening's win over the Chicago White Sox, Schwarber became the first player in Phillies history to reach 37 home runs before the month of August. He's also driven in 86 runs, walked 74 times and posted a .966 OPS. Add in Schwarber's reputation as a clubhouse leader and it would be unthinkable for the Phillies not to re-sign him.
Of course, while Schwarber has indicated that he wants to continue playing for the Phillies beyond this season, all indications are that he's going to reach free agency this winter. Schwarber hitting the open market wouldn't preclude the Phillies from re-signing him, as they did with both J.T. Realmuto and Aaron Nola. But you run the risk of another team coming through and making an offer that Schwarber can't refuse.
Kyle Schwarber postgame: “We can feel that support, and always appreciate it.” https://t.co/KMNiLVnZU1 pic.twitter.com/Pue6eqtwhm
What if the Chicago Cubs — the team Schwarber spent parts of six seasons with to begin his career — lose Kyle Tucker in free agency and pivot to Schwarber? What if there's another team that becomes infatuated with Schwarber because they think he not only will give them a superstar offensive piece, but also can help teach their young team to win?
Schwarber is a DH, and will be entering his age-33 season in the winter. Maybe that — plus the qualifying offer the Phillies will surely extend to him — will keep his market small enough that the Phillies can fend off any other suitors. But make no mistake, there are going to be other teams who try to woo Schwarber away. And at that point, we'll see just how far Middleton and Dombrowski are willing to go to keep Schwarber in red pinstripes.
