The Philadelphia Phillies’ lineup would have a massive hole to fill if Kyle Schwarber were to walk this offseason.
Rumors and speculation have been swirling for a few months at this point. While some view the Phillies as the favorites to retain Schwarber, reports have pointed to other teams also in the sweepstakes. ESPN’s Jeff Passan listed the Boston Red Sox, Cincinnati Reds, and the New York Mets as other teams “in the mix” for Schwarber.
ESPN insider Buster Olney took it one step further and shared the “juiciest rumor” he has heard ahead of the winter meetings is that the “Mets could push the Phillies” for Schwarber.
“The juiciest rumor I heard this week was the notion that the Mets could push the Phillies for Schwarber, and there are a lot of reasons this could make sense,” Olney wrote on Friday. “Beyond Schwarber’s power and on-base capability — can you imagine pitchers working to get through Schwarber and (Juan Soto) in the same inning? — he is known as someone who works to pull players together. And hell, even if the Mets don’t believe they can beat the Phillies in the bidding for the slugger, they could push Philadelphia’s cost by being involved, as the (Atlanta Braves) did with Aaron Nola two winters ago.”
If there ever was a team you don’t want to get into a bidding war against, it’s the high-spending Mets. Plus, to make matters even worse, the Mets and Phillies play in the same division. Imagine if Schwarber not only left, but Phillies fans had to see him help one of their biggest rivals? That would be the worst-case scenario.
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