December 09, 2025
Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Imagn Images
Kyle Schwarber is returning to the Phillies on a new 5-year deal.
With MLB's Winter Meetings underway in Orlando, the Phillies didn't waste time making their first major splash of the offseason.
The team and All-Star designated hitter Kyle Schwarber have reportedly agreed on a new five-year, $150 million deal that will keep Schwarber from leaving in free agency for another team and restore the team's best power source to its lineup.
Several reporters covering the team reported that the deal is done. ESPN's Jeff Passan broke the news, reporting that Schwarber's $30 million average yearly salary is the most ever for a designated hitter:
BREAKING: Slugger Kyle Schwarber and the Philadelphia Phillies are finalizing a five-year, $150 million contract, sources tell ESPN. The NL MVP runner-up, one of the best home run hitters and clubhouse leaders in baseball, is returning to Philadelphia.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 9, 2025
Schwarber clubbed a National League-best and personal-best 56 homers in 2025, to go along with an MLB-best 132 RBIs in all 162 games. He fell two homers shy of tying Ryan Howard's record for most homers in a season by a Phillie. Schwarber slashed .240/.365/.563 for the Phils, who won the NL East for the second straight year and made the postseason for the fourth straight season.
Schwarber has been with the Phillies for four seasons and has never hit fewer than 38 homers. He has also driven in 100 or more runs in each of the past three seasons, serving for several years as the team's leadoff hitter before last season moving into the No. 2 spot behind Trea Turner and in front of Bryce Harper.
Although the Phils are expected to make roster changes this offseason following their inability to get out of the NLDS for the second straight season, team president Dave Dombrowski had said throughout the offseason that the team would prioritize bringing back Schwarber, who turns 33 in March, but also figured to be competing with other teams, such as the Red Sox and hometown Reds to re-sign him.
The Phillies, who lost to the eventual World Series champion Dodgers in the NLDS, are expected to be very active this offseason. With Schwarber's deal secured, the Phils can now shift focus to other important in-house free agents, including catcher J.T. Realmuto, and to continuing to improve the roster.
Meanwhile, they've also agreed to a contract extension with manager Rob Thomson and appear close to adding Yankees legend Don Mattingly as a bench coach.
Schwarber, who has 340 career homers in his 11-year career, could reach the vaunted 500-homer milestone in a Phillies uniform. He just needs 160 dingers over the next five seasons, an average of 32 per year. Schwarber has hit 32 or more homers in each season since the start of the 2021 season.
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