Reds stubborn philosophy will end dreams of Kyle Schwarber signing before they start

Following their first postseason appearance since 2020, a few things have been made abundantly clear about these Cincinnati Reds. For one thing, they're clearly a team on the rise, armed with an elite young pitching staff and a myriad of multi-tool hitters that should carry the team to brighter days.

In the same breath, though, this is a roster in clear need of an infusion of veteran talent. This is a team that ranked just 21st in home runs (167) and slugging percentage (.391), 14th in runs scored (716), and 24th in ISO (.146) this past season.

Luckily, the free agent market is ripe with options who can help alleviate what ails the Reds' offense, including National League home run king Kyle Schwarber. A native of Middletown, Ohio (just a 45-minute drive from Great American Ball Park), Schwarber has been linked to the Reds since he starred on the Indiana Hoosier's baseball team. There's just two problems: He doesn't fit the Reds' team-building philosophy or budget.

Kyle Schwarber's bat fits the Reds, but his defense and contract won't

Part of the issue with Schwarber is his designation as a full-time DH. The last time he played the field with any regularity was 2023, when he registered -18 Outs Above Average (OAA) and -20 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) in the outfield with the Philadelphia Phillies.

That reality is simply antithetical to the way the Reds like to build their team. As president of baseball operations Nick Krall told the media at the team's end-of-season press conference: “You’d like to be able to rotate guys through [the DH position]. I don’t know if that’s going to be the case. It’s all going to be dependent on what the roster looks like going into next year."

The Reds have always prioritized flexibility at the DH spot since its permanent introduction the National League in 2022. The team had 13 different players take at-bats as DH in 2025, and only Gavin Lux and Austin Hays cleared 100 at-bats at the position on the season.

Schwarber would throw a wrench into those plans, which could prove especially difficult to manage if the team keeps Sal Stewart, Spencer Steer, and all of its outfielders on top of signing the lefty masher.

Beyond that, Schwarber is going to cost a pretty penny in free agency. He hit .240/.365/.563 with 56 home runs this season, good for a career-high 152 wRC+. There's just few people in the game that can impact a game with one swing like he can.

Current industry projections have pegged Schwarber, 32, as a candidate for a $100 million contract, potentially over four or five years. That $20-25 million AAV would blow anything else on the Reds' payroll out of the water.

Still, if there were ever a time for the Reds to break their fiscally-responsible habits, it would be now. This core of players could be special, and Schwarber has already hit 13 home runs in 50 career games at Great American Ball Park. He could throw the budget and lineup out of whack, but watching him and Elly De La Cruz hit back-to-back home runs would be worth it on entertainment value alone.