Former MLB Executive Believes Phillies Will Sign Star Slugger to New Contract

As the Philadelphia Phillies continue to find their groove, they are starting to live up to their expectations of being one of the best teams in the National League.

It has been an excellent stretch of baseball for the Phillies, who now find themselves in first place in the NL East. Despite the sluggish start, the team is now firing on all cylinders, emerging as the contender they were believed to be coming into the year.

Philadelphia is led by a veteran core that has accomplished quite a bit in the last several campaigns. This group has made the playoffs the last three seasons, including a trip to the World Series and the NLCS.

However, 2024 felt like it was a year cut short after they were eliminated early on by the New York Mets in the NLDS. Now, the veteran group will be focused to try and make it back to the World Series, especially considering they will have a couple of notable free agents at the end of the year.

Who is the Top Upcoming Free Agent for Philadelphia?

Jim Bowden of The Athletic (subscription required) recently wrote about the Phillies’ desire to retain their star slugger Kyle Schwarber, who is an upcoming free agent.

“The Phillies want to retain Schwarber and are prepared to give him a long-term contract at the appropriate time," he wrote.

While there are numerous talented free agents for Philadelphia coming up at the end of the campaign, it is Schwarber who is the headliner.

The slugger has been excellent for the franchise since coming over in 2022. He has been a main reason for the success of the franchise, emerging as one of the best power hitters in the game.

So far in 2025, he is off to a strong start, slashing .251/.394/.563 with 17 home runs and 37 RBI. With 148 home runs and counting over the last three-plus seasons, he has been an excellent player.

Now, as primarily a designated hitter, the 32-year-old will have an interesting winter coming up. While the Phillies would certainly like to bring him back, locking up the DH spot isn’t ideal with some other players on the roster getting older as well.

However, there is no denying the type of talent that Schwarber has, and there are few better hitters in baseball.

With some needs in other areas and likely a desire to get younger in their lineup, it will be interesting to see what the plan is with Schwarber. However, there is no denying that he makes Philadelphia a much better team right now and has been a catalyst for their success since he joined.