Mar 11, 2023; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Team USA designated hitter Kyle Schwarber (12) high fives center fielder Mike Trout (27) and first baseman Paul Goldschmidt (46) after hitting a three run home run during the fourth inning against Team Great Britain at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Chris Coduto-Imagn Images Chris Coduto-Imagn Images

Padres Linked to 50-Homer Slugger, MVP Candidate Heading to Free Agency

Originally posted on San Diego Padres on SI
By Aaron Coloma | Last updated Sep 6, 2025 7:30 PM ET

ESPN's Jeff Passan linked the San Diego Padres to Philadelphia Phillies and potential National League MVP Kyle Schwarber.

Schwarber will enter free agency this offseason, and is having a season any team would want from their designated hitter. The 2025 All-Star Game MVP leads the National League with 49 home runs and leads all of baseball with 119 RBIs, both of which are career-highs.

The 32-year-old has received MVP votes in each of the last three seasons, and will surely get more in 2025. He has been healthy and available all season, playing a National League leading 141 games.

"If he wants, he can get at least four years," wrote Passan. "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."

Of the teams Passan listed, the Padres are probably the team who needs Schwarber the least. The Padres have two solid options at designated hitter currently, Gavin Sheets and Ryan O'Hearn, and Sheets is under club control through 2027.

O'Hearn becomes a free agent at the end of the season, however, so if the Padres wanted to go after Schwarber and occasionally field Sheets in left as they have for much of the 2025 season, they could.

The Phillies, however, most likely won't want to let Schwarber walk, especially after the season he's having.

"We want to keep him," said Phillies managing partner John Middleton.

"We need no motivation whatsoever when it comes to Kyle Schwarber," Middleton said. "He's great. We thought he was great when we signed him years ago. We thought he was great consistently through the years. There's nothing Kyle does that surprises us. No matter how great he is, we expect that from Kyle. He's a great person in the dugout. He's a great person in the clubhouse."

While a deal with Schwarber is unlikely for the Padres due to his fan favorite status in Philly and the Padres' options at designated hitter, the idea of bringing in a 50-homer player to an already playoff-caliber team is nonetheless exciting.