MLB Rumors: Red Sox Face Price Surge For Top Free-Agent Slugger

How much is too much for Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow when it comes to signing Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber?

The designated hitter will be the biggest bat on the free-agent market and a Boston reunion isn’t out of the question. However Schwarber’s price tag is another story.

“With the exception of Shohei Ohtani, Schwarber is the top free agent designated hitter in years,” MLB Trade Rumors’ Anthony Franco notes. “He’s going to become the first pure DH to sign a nine-figure contract after blasting an NL-best 56 home runs and leading MLB with 132 runs driven in. Schwarber played in all 162 games and batted .240/.365/.563 over 724 trips to the plate.

“Schwarber hit 38+ homers in all four seasons of the free agent contract he’d signed with Philadelphia,” Franco adds. “He’s going to strike out a lot, but he’s among the five best power hitters in the sport. He’s also adored in the Philly clubhouse, and president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has made no secret about their desire to keep him.

“Schwarber is going to decline a qualifying offer and should be in position for a four-year contract that pays more than $25MM annually. There’s a non-zero chance that a team stretches to five years to push the overall guarantee above $130MM,” Franco concludes.

Last month, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale predicted Schwarber “should command a four-year deal in excess of $120 million.”

In terms of numbers, MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand was in the same ballpark as Nightengale.

“Among those we spoke to, the consensus is that Schwarber should land a deal of four or five years for at least $30 million per season,” Feinsand reported.

ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel polled 20 scouts, executives and agents to get a sense of Schwarber’s value in free agency.

“The average of all 20 projections is 4.3 years, $131.8 million, for a $30.7 million average annual value (AAV),” McDaniel reported. “The median projection of those deals is $119 million.”

A three-time All-Star, Schwarber spent part of the 2021 season in Boston as a midseason acquisition as the Red Sox reached the American League Championship Series.

An 11-year-veteran and three-time All-Star, Schwarber helped the Chicago Cubs win the 2016 World Series.