Philadelphia – If the postseason has a “war theater” then none other than Kyle Schwarber, the former top DH of the Philadelphia Phillies, is attracting all eyes. The 1993-born player finished 2025 with an incredible record – 56 home runs, 132 RBIs and a third All-Star appearance – and now enters free agency with bigger ambitions than ever: a record 5-year contract worth around $150 million, a level no DH has ever achieved in MLB history.
“Kyle is expected to demand a five-year contract with an average salary of about $30 million a year,” The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Scott Lauber reported Tuesday. That means the 33-year-old DM (Designated Hitter) alone could, for the first time, command a package larger than the contracts of a star hitter like Shohei Ohtani or Cody Bellinger.
“Schwarber is a rare breed: no longer a fixed position on the field, no need to play defense, but still a home run machine who counts every hit,” said the former general manager of multiple teams. “When that talent is combined with his 30+ years, he is rewriting the concept of the value of the DH position.”
The story seems pretty clear: Schwarber signed a $79 million deal with the Phillies four years ago, but now he’s looking at more than $150 million to continue providing middle-of-the-order power for any team entering a home run-starved season. That’s more than the outlandish contracts of Brandon Belt, JD Martinez, or Nelson Cruz.
The previous highest a DH had received was Martinez – five years, $110 million. That means Schwarber is aiming to surpass that by 1.5 times. This has led the Phillies, who are running a balanced budget between Harper, Turner, and Wheeler, to view this as the most intense negotiation in franchise history.
Some experts believe Schwarber is taking a huge gamble: breaking off a long-running negotiation because he knows the 2025 season is the peak of his career. By age 35, if he’s physically declining, his bargaining value will plummet. And when you only know how to Hit Balls – and hit them hard like Schwarber, age is not the enemy, time is the enemy.
“I didn’t come here to play ball – I came here to hit home runs, to give the team strength, and to help win the World Series,” Schwarber said before the season. The ballpark is not just a place for him to work – it’s where he’s going to prove his ambition.
The news has sent a chill through Philadelphia’s leadership. President Dave Dombrowski recently admitted: “Schwarber was always a top priority. We offered him a contract – and he had an option.” Meanwhile, another former MLB official said: “Some teams would pay him $120 million over three years, but not many teams would do a five-year deal at that salary. If a team accepts, they’re going to be in the elite.”
Meanwhile, rumors from various quarters suggest the Boston Red Sox could be a logical destination. In a power-starved state, the Blues need a Schwarber replacement to help them bounce back from a poor home run season and a lackluster 2025 season. A possible sign-and-trade could bring in young Jarren Duran and a promising pitching prospect. It would also be a chance for the Phillies to balance the books by sharing their salary debt.
Whether or not a new contract is signed, one thing is certain: Kyle Schwarber is on the cusp of his greatest career destiny. A long-term deal could make him one of the highest-paid DHs of all time. If not, he could at least make his mark on the free market as MLB’s “home run redefiner.”
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