A stunning dark-horse contender has just barged into the Kyle Schwarber free-agent race, instantly shifting the balance of power across MLB. DD
This is … unexpected.
Many clubs are expected to be suitors for Kyle Schwarber this winter. He had a season for the ages in 2025 with the Philadelphia Phillies. He was the MVP of the All-Star Game and finished second in NL MVP voting. Schwarber had a career year at the right time, as he raised his value even more. Now a new and very surprising suitor has joined the crowd of teams bidding for his services: the Pittsburgh Pirates.
According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, in addition to the Phillies, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, Cincinnati Reds, and Detroit Tigers, the surprising Pirates have shown interest in signing one of the top power hitters in the game. Pittsburgh is notoriously known for having one of the smallest payrolls in MLB.
“When you hit like Schwarber, neither age nor position matters,”Passan writes about Schwarber’s expanding pool of suitors. “Teams have made that abundantly clear, all the way from the obvious suitors (the Philadelphia Phillies are fiending to re-sign him) and the not-so-obvious (yes, Pittsburgh is in on Schwarber as well).”
Pirates’ interest in signing Kyle Schwarber is about as surprising as free agent news can get
The Pirates don’t come to mind when thinking about organizations who would have interest in signing Schwarber. They are a small-market club whose owner, Bob Nutting, does not spend much money.
With an elite talent like back-to-back NL Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes on their roster for the next several years, the organization should make more of an effort to build a contending team around him. Signing Schwarber would be a good start.
It appears the Pirates are more willing to spend money this offseason. According to Passan, the most expensive contract the Pirates have given out was for three years and $39 million to Francisco Liriano in December 2014.
Yet, apparently, they were willing to spend a lot more money than that to sign Josh Naylor. However, the first baseman agreed to re-sign with the Seattle Mariners on a five-year, $92.5 million contract.
The Pirates should be willing to spend. They are in the NL Central which featured three teams in the postseason this year: the Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago Cubs, and Cincinnati Reds. Even though the division, outside the Cubs, is comprised of small-market teams, Pittsburgh hasn’t made good organizational decisions overall. They are often far too many games out of a playoff spot by the All-Star break.
Schwarber would certainly give the Pirates’ offense a boost. They ranked last in MLB with 117 home runs and 561 RBIs and their 1,244 hits were the third-fewest. The Middletown, Ohio, native led the NL with 56 home runs, 36 more than Pittsburgh’s team leader Oneil Cruz, who totaled 20. Schwarber finished first in MLB with 132 RBIs, 59 more than Bryan Reynolds’ club-leading 73.
The 32-year-old Schwarber has many teams interested, per Passan, because his deal won’t exceed five years due to his age and because he’s a full-time designated hitter. Nevertheless, his contract will be for more money than his previous four-year, $79 million deal with the Phillies in 2022.
Schwarber is projected to earn $30 million per season with his new contract, according to Passan. Would Pirates general manager Ben Cherington and Nutting be willing to spend that much? It seems highly unlikely, despite their apparent interest in signing a top power hitter and willingness to spend money this winter.
