Reds fans clinging to Kyle Schwarber free agency dream need a reality check

Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber will not be signing a free agent contract with the Cincinnati Reds this offseason. Period! End of story! Now, can we move past this fantasy and focus on what the Reds might actually do this winter?

Seriously, is anyone actually buying this nonsense that's been peddled by certain contributors at the Cincinnati Enquirer? Schwarber's response to a question at the 2025 All-Star Game — in which he was asked about playing for his hometown team — sparked the conversation, and far too many Reds fans are clinging to this fantasy.

During the Phillies visit to Cincinnati earlier this month, FOX19's Joe Danneman asked Schwarber about those comments, and the Philadelphia star responded saying, "I mean, it was funny. I thank Gordon (Wittenmyer) for that one, but he asked the question, you know, if things don't work out would you ever think about Cincinnati, I mean absolutely."

These Reds rumors linking Kyle Schwarber to Cincinnati have to stop

Schwarber went on to compliment the Reds organization, citing the team's young talent and future Hall of Fame manager. But that's where the conversation stopped. Everything else has just been a lot of hogwash and pointless drivel used to push a narrative that has ZERO chance of ever happening. Okay, maybe it's closer to 0.01%, but you get the point.

Schwarber isn't just a good hitter, he's one of the best in the league and is the in the mix to be a finalist for this year's NL MVP Award. As such, the 32-year-old will be seeking a big-time pay day this coming offseason, one that certainly won't be coming from the Reds.

Schwarber will be able to command at least a four-year deal (and maybe more), with an average annual value (AAV) of $30 million-plus. Do you honestly think the Reds will sign a free agent — even one as talented as Schwarber — to a four-year, $120 million deal? He may even be able to land a deal worth over $150 million.

The biggest free agent contract the Reds have ever handed out was the four-year, $64 million deal Mike Moustakas received in 2019. There's no way Cincinnati's ownership group is going to double their biggest free agent signing in franchise history, let alone for a player who doesn't even play defense.

The Reds have a horrifying history of signing free agents of late. Moustakas' deal may go down as one of the worst ever, and Cincinnati will still be paying off the final year of Jeimer Candelario's three-year, $45 million deal in 2026. Shogo Akiyama's three-year, $21 million deal was a bust as well.

Signing Schwarber will also come with the painful cost of a draft pick. The Phillies DH will undoubtedly be slapped with a qualifying offer, meaning that whoever signs him during free agency will have to surrender draft compensation. Cincinnati has built their entire foundation on draft and development, and giving up draft picks is not something they do very often.

While it can be fun to think about the prospects of Schwarber coming back home to Cincinnati and crushing balls over the right field wall and into the Ohio River, it's nothing more than a dream. This is a fantasy, and every Reds fan (and those who've been presenting this pipe dream) knows it.

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