Phillies Reportedly Signing Kyle Schwarber, Force Red Sox To Pivot

One of the first major free agent dominoes on the position player market has just fallen, as the Philadelphia Phillies and Kyle Schwarber are reportedly finalizing a five-year, $150 million deal, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.

The Phillies had been seen as the favorites to sign Schwarber all offseason, and ultimately landed their star slugger on a new deal. His new reported deal will be the second-largest deal for a designated hitter in baseball, trailing only two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani.

Schwarber was the National League MVP Award runner-up last season and has just set the market for the elite hitters in this year’s free agent class. The Red Sox are reportedly interested in adding an impact bat to their lineup and had been linked to Schwarber.

With him off the board, the Red Sox may need to pivot. Pete Alonso is still available and is reportedly meeting with the Red Sox in person at the winter meetings. He could still be a great fit for the Red Sox.

With Schwarber landing a five-year deal going into his age-37 season, Alonso could be looking for a similar deal. He is younger and also has the profile of a player who could be a full-time designated hitter soon. He is not a great defender, but has tremendous power, just like Schwarber.

Since Alonso made his debut in 2019, he has hit the third-most home runs in baseball. He trails only Schwarber and Aaron Judge.

Schwarber is one of the best hitters in the game and has been a key player for the Phillies for the last four years. It was reportedly believed by executives that it would take a five-year commitment to land Schwarber, as this could be his last long-term deal, and that’s exactly what he is reportedly getting.

The Phillies will keep their star hitter around, and other teams in search of a power bat will now have to decide if they want to pursue Alonso, Munetaka Murakami or Kazuma Okamoto heavily.