Red Sox Reunion With Former Slugger Won’t Be Easy, MLB Insider Says

So you’re saying there’s a chance? A reunion between the Boston Red Sox and former slugger Kyle Schwarber is looking less and less likely, the New York Post’s Jon Heyman reports. That’s because his current team, the Philadelphia Phillies, sounds ready to back up the Brink’s truck.

“The Phillies made star DH Kyle Schwarber an offer, but Schwarber opted to wait,” Heyman wrote. ‘We want to retain him now, and we wanted to retain him then,’ Phillies president Dave Dombrowski told The Post.”

Schwarber leads the National League with 50 home runs and leads the majors with 123 RBIs, making him a legitimate MVP candidate. For the time being, the 32-year-old isn’t worried about the offseason.

“If something works out here, it works out here. There’s interest on both sides,” Schwarber said, according to Heyman.

“I’m sure whenever we get to the end of the year, and hopefully it’s us holding a trophy at the end, I’m sure there’ll be conversations,” Schwarber added. “Sometimes hopes and dreams don’t turn out the way they’re meant to be.”

Regardless of where the three-time All-Star signs, Schwarber will hit the jackpot.

“Because of all he brings, Schwarber is going to get paid. Like, paid paid,” ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported earlier this month. “Teams will scoff because of the age, the strikeouts, the positional inflexibility. But Schwarber’s total package will ultimately push some of them off such concerns and trigger a bidding war.

“If he wants, he can get at least four years. The salary, at that term, should be at least $30 million a year. And although remaining in Philadelphia makes the most sense, enough teams have holes at DH — looking at you, Texas, San Diego, Atlanta, Houston, Detroit and Cincinnati — that no amount of labor unrest will cause Schwarber’s market to dry up,” Passan concluded.”

“Kyle Schwarber’s free-agent market is going to be a fascinating watch,” ESPN’s Paul Hembekides said last week. “I say 3/100 or 4/120. Buster (Olney) is hearing 4/160–200 from some sources, 90–120 from others. Schwarbs is brilliant, but teams aren’t dying to shell out massive deals to DHs in their thirties.”

Schwarber spent part of the 2021 season in Boston as a midseason acquisition and helped the Red Sox reach the American League Championship Series.

An 11-year-veteran, Schwarber helped the Chicago Cubs win the 2016 World Series.