Kyle Schwarber is one of baseball's best and most consistent sluggers.
He's in the midst of his third 40-homer season with the Philadelphia Phillies out of the last four years (and the one he didn't make it, he hit 38).
That makes him a highly anticipated free agent. He's only a DH, but that's not a big deal. With a bat like this, Schwarber will be wanted by everyone in baseball.
The Athletic's Jim Bowden writes that every team except the Dodgers (with Shohei Ohtani) and Yankees (with Giancarlo Stanton and a lot of surplus bats) should want Schwarber.
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Here's Bowden's whole write-up from a new article on Friday:
"Schwarber is putting together what could be his best year at the ideal time. It looks like he will set career highs in home runs and RBIs. He has hit 40 homers or more in three of the past four years and currently ranks second in the National League in homers (42) and second in RBIs (98). He’s crushed both righties (.563 slug) and lefties (.600) this year. He’s the king of teammates — with leadership, baseball IQ and intangibles that are off the charts. Every team except the Dodgers and Yankees should want him to be their DH. The Phillies will make every effort to re-sign him, but it will be fascinating to see what the open market brings for this special power bat and teammate."
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The Cincinnati Reds are certainly interested. Schwarber is from Middletown, Ohio, not far from Cincy, and when the Phillies played there recently, the Reds had Schwarber's father and his youth baseball coach throw out ceremonial first pitches that the visiting Schwarber caught.
The Phillies are heading toward a potential October run, where Schwarber could be a hero and potentially lock up a massive contract to stay in Philadelphia.
But his agent's phone will be ringing off the hook. Everyone should want Schwarber, and he'll get paid accordingly.
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