Still Reeling From The Shock! Phillies Star Opens Up About Stunning from Former Team
Kyle Schwarber is heading into his fourth season with the Philadelphia Phillies, and it could be his last.
This will be the final campaign of his four-year, $79 million deal with the Phillies, after which he becomes eligible for free agency.
With Schwarber entering a contract year, he could be changing teams soon.
The 32-year-old slugger has already endured several Major League breakups, including one with his first professional team, the Chicago Cubs.
Despite helping the Cubs win their first World Series in over a century in 2016, they let him leave after the 2020 season, allowing him to sign with the Washington Nationals.
Looking back, the two-time All-Star is still surprised by how things ended between him and Chicago.
“You think that this is it … You think that team’s gonna last forever, but there’s a business side to baseball,” Schwarber said in an interview with “Foul Territory.”
With Schwarber coming off the worst offensive season of his career in 2020, the Cubs opted to move on. That proved to be a massive mistake, as he’s been one of the best hitters in baseball since.
In four seasons since leaving Chicago, Schwarber has batted .229/.350/.500 while averaging 41 home runs, 93 RBI, 99 runs and 96 walks per year.
Only Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani have more homers during that time.
Schwarber’s departure was the start of a trend for the Cubs.
They blew up their championship core the following summer, trading away Anthony Rizzo, Javier Baez and Kris Bryant in a shocking series of moves.
Chicago hasn’t made the playoffs since.
Meanwhile, Schwarber has reached the postseason every year since leaving the Cubs, including three straight playoff trips with Philadelphia.
The Phillies have fallen short each time, however, so the pressure’s on Schwarber & Co. to get over the hump this year.
If they succeed, Schwarber could be in line for an extension.
Dave Dombrowski extended several Boston Red Sox stars after winning it all in 2018, so the veteran slugger could receive a similar reward.
If Philadelphia goes home empty-handed again or Schwarber has a down year, he and some of his teammates might be looking for new jobs next winter.
