Phillies president gives clarity on Kyle Schwarber's future in Philadelphia

Philadelphia Phillies leadoff hitter Kyle Schwarber has been the team's best offensive performer in the ongoing season. Schwarber, who joined the Phillies in a four-year free agent contract worth $79 million in 2022, is now on his walk year.

The 32-year-old debuted with the Chicago Cubs in 2015 and played there for six years, winning a World Series. Before joining the Phillies, he played the 2021 season for the Washington Nationals and Boston Red Sox.

In his interview on The Show, hosted by Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman on Wednesday, Phillies president of baseball operations, Dave Dombrowski, shared insights on Schwarber's future in Philadelphia.

Amid a relatively lackluster showing from Bryce Harper and Trea Turner this season, Dombrowski hailed the 32-year-old for consistency.

"Well, Schwarbs has been fantastic for us, " Dombrowski said (29:29). "Four years, we've made it to the postseason the previous three, and I hope again we do it this year. He's not only a quality performer. He's a clubhouse guy. He's a gamer. He's what you want out of a club."

Dombrowski said that he wants Schwarber to be a part of the Phillies for the foreseeable future but also knows there are hindrances.

"We'll see where that takes us. He's putting up big numbers, and I'm sure there'll be a lot of other clubs that are interested in him too. But we'd love to keep him part of the organization and hope that it happens," Dombrovski added.

Schwarber has hit 18 homers this season, second in the American League, behind Shohei Ohtani (20). On May 19, the 32-year-old achieved the significant milestone of hitting 300 homers, which he completed with a 466-foot dinger against Rockies pitcher Scott Alexander.

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Phillies insider gives verdict on Kyle Schwarber's $79M deal

On Monday's episode of the Phillies Show, a subsidiary of Foul Territory, Phillies insiders Todd Zalecki and Jim Salisbury called Kyle Schwarber the team's MVP. At the time, Schwarber was tied with Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge atop he home run leaderboard.

Reflecting on the 32-year-old's time with the Phillies, Zalecki shared his thoughts about how Schwarber has fared for the National League East team.

"I think now, when I look at the Kyle Schwarber signing, was it four years? $79 million, kind of a steal," Zalecki said [14:41]. "I mean, you know, you think, and I understand why he signed for what he did at the time. You know, he got DFA’d or released by the Cubs."

Despite having a bounce-back season with the Nationals and Red Sox in 2021, Zalecki noted that teams hesitated to give Schwarber a contract worth north of $100 million.

"But man, four years, $79 million for Kyle Schwarber, he has been worth every penny and then some. So good," Zalecki added.

Although many believe the Phillies' five-year, $118 million contract with Zack Wheeler is the biggest steal, the insider believes Schwarber's is also worth it.