Phillies owner John Middleton on re-signing Kyle Schwarber: ‘ We love him. We want to keep him’
Schwarber, 32, is eligible for free agency after the season. Although there’s mutual interest, talks didn’t progress in spring training, and the sides agreed to table things until after the season.
Kyle Schwarber stole the show Tuesday night at the All-Star Game. If he puts on an encore performance next year, it would be in Philadelphia.
But will he still be with the Phillies?
“We love him,” owner John Middleton said Friday. “We want to keep him.”
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Middleton was in Atlanta when Schwarber hit three homers on three swings in the first-ever “swing off” to decide an All-Star Game that was tied after nine innings. Schwarber was the first Phillies player to be named All-Star MVP since Johnny Callison in 1964.
It was an extreme example of the power displays that Schwarber has put on regularly since 2022, when he signed a four-year, $79 million contract with the Phillies. He has hit 161 homers over the last four seasons, third-most in baseball behind Aaron Judge (192) and Shohei Ohtani (164).
Schwarber, 32, is eligible for free agency after the season. Although there’s mutual interest in keeping him with the Phillies, talks didn’t progress in spring training, and the sides agreed to table further conversations until after the season.
Could Schwarber’s star turn at the All-Star Game sway the Phillies to get something done?
“We need no motivation whatsoever when it comes to Kyle Schwarber,” Middleton said. “He’s great. We thought he was great when we signed him years ago. We thought he’s great consistently during the years. There’s nothing Kyle does that surprises us.
“No matter how great he is, you expect that from Kyle. He’s a great person in the dugout. He’s a great person in the clubhouse. We don’t need any motivation whatsoever.”