How long will Kyle Schwarber’s free agency contract be?

Kyle Schwarber is one of the biggest names in the MLB free agency class this winter. With the Winter Meetings coming up, the stove is heating up, and the MVP runner-up could be on the move. ESPN’s Jeff Passan has the latest on how long Kyle Schwarber’s contract could be after a career year with the Philadelphia Phillies.

“When does the Kyle Schwarber dam break? Several teams’ fortunes — from Philadelphia to Cincinnati to Pittsburgh to Boston to Baltimore to the New York Mets — depend on where Schwarber goes. The belief among teams is that it will take five years to secure the 32-year-old, and once that happens — perhaps sometime during the meetings — teams will start pivoting, and the action will pick up demonstrably,” Passan reported.

Schwarber will be 33 years old on Opening Day, so his next contract could take him through his age-37 season. Normally, that would be something teams shy away from. But his status as a designated hitter and lack of injury history could quell those concerns. For the past four years, Schwarber has played at least 150 games.

The Phillies won’t be alone in bidding for Schwarber, and it could drive up the price. Buster Olney spoke about Schwarber’s chances of staying in the NL East. “The juiciest rumor I heard this week was the notion that the Mets could push the Phillies for Schwarber, and there are a lot of reasons this could make sense. Beyond Schwarber’s power and on-base capability — can you imagine pitchers working to get through Schwarber and Soto in the same inning? — he is known as someone who works to pull players together. And hell, even if the Mets don’t believe they can beat the Phillies in the bidding for the slugger, they could push Philadelphia’s cost by being involved, as the Braves did with Aaron Nola two winters ago.”

Schwarber was one of the top home-run hitters in the league last year. He could command a massive salary and leave the Phillies scrambling for offense.