The Pirates — yes, the Pirates — are reportedly interested in Kyle Schwarber

The Cincinnati Reds and Chicago Cubs have long been speculated upon as potential competition as the Phillies try to re-sign Kyle Schwarber. But apparently another NL Central team is interested in the three-time All-Star.

ESPN's Jeff Passan wrote Tuesday that the Pittsburgh Pirates are interested in Schwarber: 

The demand for Schwarber is high, which is no surprise considering he won't get more than a five-year deal because of his age and positional inflexibility as a full-time designated hitter. Of course, when you hit like Schwarber, neither age nor position matters. Teams have made that abundantly clear, all the way from the obvious suitors (the Philadelphia Phillies are fiending to re-sign him) and the not-so-obvious (yes, Pittsburgh is in on Schwarber as well).

This comes after Passan says that the Pirates "were primed to spend more than twice" the largest current free-agent contract in team history — a three-year/$39 million deal they gave to lefty Francisco Liriano in December of 2014 — to try to sign Josh Naylor. Instead, Naylor re-signed with the Seattle Mariners Sunday for what Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic says was a five-year/$92.5 million deal. 

Will the Pirates be able to make a compelling pitch to Schwarber? It's fair to be skeptical. 

First of all, I projected over on Bleacher Report that Schwarber will sign a four-year/$135 million deal. Many outlets believe the NL-MVP runner-up will get five seasons. That would be very rich for the notoriously penny-pinching Bob Nutting, the owner of the Pirates. 

Secondly, even if the Pirates are willing to make a major investment in Schwarber, he would be justified in being skeptical about their willingness to put a contending team around him over the term of his contract. Sure, he would be joining a club led by NL Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes, but Pittsburgh will likely trade him at some point in the coming years as he gets closer to free agency. Even in the best-case scenario that Pittsburgh somehow keeps Skenes — which they won't — there's still not close to enough around him to make Pittsburgh an enticing destination. 

However, this report does lend some credence to an idea that Mike McGarry of The Press of Atlantic City discussed for much of the 2025 season: What if there's a team we aren't thinking of who makes a Jayson Werth-type Godfather offer because they believe Schwarber can change the culture of their franchise?

Maybe the Pirates won't be that team, but perhaps another club could. It's why even though Schwarber re-signing with the Phillies seems like the most likely outcome, Dave Dombrowski and company do need to have backup plans.

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