Kyle Schwarber has agreed to a five-year, $150 million deal with the Phillies, a league source confirmed to The Athletic. ESPN’s Jeff Passan first reported the news.
Landing a five-year deal as a designated hitter at age 32 is a testament to the work Schwarber has put in and what his clubhouse presence means to the Phillies. His signing is the first major domino to fall among MLB free-agent hitters, opening the door for the offseason marketplace to truly get moving.
The agreement comes after a career year in 2025, during which Schwarber led the National League with 56 homers — second in Phillies franchise history — and 132 RBIs. Schwarber, No. 4 on The Athletic’s Big Board of top free agents, also hit more left-on-left homers (23) than anyone else in the history of the sport after being platooned and pinch hit for earlier in his career.
Those efforts earned him a career-best second place in NL MVP voting, and an excellent contract after strong interest in free agency with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds and Boston Red Sox among other engaged teams. The Athletic previously projected Schwarber’s contract as five years, $145 million.
“Every single year, you try to find a way to keep getting better, and to find a way to be productive for your team,” Schwarber said after hitting his 50th home run. “I don’t know what to say about, ‘Why have you hit so many homers?’ It’s just the way it happens.”
Really, it was the product of weeks of meticulous offseason work and self evaluation ahead of spring training. Schwarber focused on upping his zone swing rate and avoiding deep counts while working with personal hitting coach Aaron Capista before the 2025 season. That was in addition to his work against lefties, as he focused on treating at-bats against lefties just as he did righties.
The results: Schwarber increased his zone swing rate to 64.1 percent from 60.6 percent in 2024 and dominated lefties en route to posting an offensive season unlike any for the Phillies since Ryan Howard earned MVP honors in 2006. The improvements helped him land a major pay raise, five years removed from being non-tendered by the Chicago Cubs.
Schwarber, beyond his on-field accomplishments, has been lauded for his clubhouse leadership and charity work supporting first responders. He was the Phillies’ nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award in 2024.
“He’s very humble,” manager Rob Thomson said last season of Schwarber, who will turn 33 in March. “He’s a great person — does a lot for the community, does a lot for this organization and he’s a great player, great hitter. So I can understand why everybody loves him. I do, too.”
Now, with Schwarber signed, the Phillies can turn their sights to other offseason priorities like re-signing catcher J.T. Realmuto and reshaping their outfield.
