ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Kyle Schwarber is going back to Philadelphia, agreeing to a $150 million, five-year contract with the Phillies, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the agreement had not been announced. ESPN was the first to report on the move.
Schwarber had been one of the biggest names in free agency. His new contract with Philadelphia could lead to more activity at baseball's winter meetings as his other suitors execute their alternative plans.
Schwarber is coming off a terrific season with the Phillies, setting career highs with an NL-best 56 homers and a major league-high 132 RBIs. He also scored a career-high 111 runs while leading the club to its second straight NL East title.
Schwarber’s 23 homers against left-handed pitching set a major league record for a lefty batter, passing Stan Musial (1949) and Matt Olson (2021) at 22.
He won this year’s All-Star Game for the NL by swatting three homers in a tiebreaking swing-off, and he finished second in the NL MVP race behind Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani.
“Good for him, man. He earned it,” said Boston manager Alex Cora, who had Schwarber on the Red Sox in 2021.
The 32-year-old Schwarber rejected a $22,025,000 qualifying offer from Philadelphia in November.
Schwarber grew up in southwest Ohio before playing his college ball at Indiana. He was selected by the Chicago Cubs with the No. 4 pick in the 2014 amateur draft.
He was at the beginning of his second year with Chicago in 2016 when he tore two ligaments in his left knee in an outfield collision during an April game in Arizona. It was believed to be a season-ending injury, but he returned for Game 1 of the World Series and helped the Cubs to the franchise’s first championship since 1908.
Schwarber is a .234 hitter with 23 homers and 37 RBIs in 73 career playoff games. He went deep twice in the NL Division Series this year against the Dodgers.
Schwarber hit 38 homers for Chicago in 2019, but he was non-tendered by the team after he batted just .188 in 59 games during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
He signed a $10 million, one-year contract with Washington in January 2021. After clubbing 25 homers in 72 games for the Nationals, he was traded to Boston at the deadline. He helped the Red Sox reach the AL Championship Series before they were eliminated by Houston.
Following his rebound season, Schwarber signed a $79 million, four-year deal with Philadelphia in March 2022. He flourished with the Phillies, belting 187 homers and driving in 434 runs in 627 games.
He hit his 300th career homer on May 19 at Colorado. He recorded his 1,000th hit on his 319th homer on July 25 at the New York Yankees.
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AP Baseball Writer Jay Cohen contributed to this report.
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