Kyle Schwarber is fully aware that this might be his final season with the Philadelphia Phillies.
Since being non-tendered by the Chicago Cubs, Schwarber has played for three different teams. He had a strong run with the Washington Nationals, but they traded him. He performed well with the Boston Red Sox, but they allowed him to leave in free agency. Now, he’s having an even better four-year stint with the Phillies.
Before the 2022 season, Schwarber signed a four-year, \$79 million contract. He’s likely worth at least that much this time, as he’s having the best year of his career. Despite the Phillies being a high-payroll team, ranking third in the league, there’s still uncertainty about how they’ll evaluate him until the offseason rolls around.
So with free agency only a couple of months away, Schwarber recently reflected on his previous departures from other teams, and hoped he had done enough already to leave a lasting impression on Philadelphians.
“When I first came into the big leagues with the Cubs, even when you make the playoffs and win the World Series the next year you think, ‘Oh, I’m gonna be here for forever. We’re gonna be here for forever. We’ve got such a great core,'” Schwarber told USA Today’s Gabe Lacques.
“And then the business side happens, right? I think as a player, you want to make an impression, a lasting impression on a fan base and an organization. And I don’t think that’s something you take lightly.
“I hope I did it in Chicago. I hope I did it in Washington and Boston, for a short amount of time. And I hope, if this is it after the year, that I did that here.
“Because you pour so much of everything you have on a daily basis into the organization, into the city, into your teammates and trying to win. You just hope that people – I don’t want to say appreciate it, because that’s what we do – but I know how much we pour in that it becomes home.”
Schwarber has been exceptional on the field, but what would truly make losing him hard to bear is the role he’s taken as the heart and soul of the Phillies’ clubhouse.
The 32-year-old always knows the right things to say to the passionate Philadelphia fan base. And as fans of three other teams can attest, it could be a long-lasting sting if the Phillies allow him to walk away.
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