Reds become surprise threat as entire MLB waits for Kyle Schwarber domino to fall

The MLB Winter Meetings haven’t even hit full fever pitch yet, but the entire league is basically staring at one guy: Kyle Schwarber. Once he picks a home, everything else in the power-bat market is expected to snap into place. Until then? It’s a whole bunch of teams refreshing their phones every 12 seconds.

And somehow, some way, the Cincinnati Reds have muscled their way into the center of the conversation.

Reds see perfect storm forming in Kyle Schwarber race the whole league is watching

ESPN’s Jeff Passan laid out the landscape pretty clearly: it’s going to take five years to lock up Schwarber, and once that deal hits, the rest of the league will swarm their next options. The Phillies, Red Sox, and Blue Jays are the clear spenders. The Yankees, Mets, and Cubs are window-shopping. Then there’s the “ready if the door cracks open” tier — Orioles, Tigers, Pirates… and yes, the Reds.

That last group usually sits quietly in the corner at this time of year, but apparently not this winter. According to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, the Reds are serious about signing Schwarber. That’s not rumor-mill fluff. And honestly? It tracks.

Sure, money will matter here. Schwarber is 32 and staring at what might be his last major payday. The Phillies can offer familiarity. The Mets can offer cash. But the Reds can offer something the others can’t: home.

Schwarber grew up in Middletown, Ohio. He knows the region. Knows the ballpark. Knows the fanbase. And there’s something undeniably appealing about coming home to anchor a young, ascending lineup that desperately needs left-handed thump.

There’s also the not-so-small detail that Great American Ball Park is basically a cheat code for Schwarber’s swing path. He already hits moonshots in pitcher-friendly parks. Put him in a place where fly balls go to die… in the seats? You might as well start budgeting for 40-plus homers a year.

The Reds can offer need, opportunity, and narrative. They have a loaded crop of young talent —  Elly De La Cruz, Noelvi Marte, Sal Stewart, and company — but they’re starving for a reliable, middle-order masher who can take pressure off that entire group. There’s a real path to Schwarber becoming the veteran identity piece on a roster that feels one big adult bat away from being downright dangerous.

Cincinnati rarely wins these types of battles. They’re not supposed to. But this isn’t a normal offseason, and Schwarber isn’t a normal fit. The league is waiting for Schwarber to choose. And for the first time in a long time, the Reds could be one of the last teams standing when the music stops.