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Kyle Schwarber at the plate

With nine-figure contracts seeming to become a standard agents and players attempt to attain after negotiations, it appears as though Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber could be one of the next to hit the $100 million plateau.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan believes Schwarber has all the tools and elements to deserve the contractual milestone. He considers Schwarber to be a player who will be among the next generation of $100 million players. Passan noted it is “eminently reasonable” for Schwarber to command a contract that exceeds $100 million, with an annual average value of at least $25 million.

“A designated hitter who’s going to be 33 next Opening Day getting a nine-figure deal? Schwarber is an outlier in so many other respects, so why not here, too? He is terminally productive,” Passan wrote. “He is an exceptional clubhouse leader. Nobody would blink at giving him $25 million a year, and a four-year ask — particularly in a class weak on high-end bats — is eminently reasonable.”

Can Kyle Schwarber Get His Wish to Stay in Philadelphia?

Schwarber is coming off a four-year deal with the Philadelphia Phillies, which totaled $79 million in guaranteed funds. According to spotrac.com, Schwarber will earn $20 million in 2025. He is in the last year of the pact and is ready to return to the negotiating table.

Either the Phillies sign him to an extension during the season, or they face the idea of losing him to free agency after the season.

In February, Schwarber said he wants to stay in Philadelphia. He had hoped to get a new deal sooner, rather than later.

“We’ll see,” Schwarber said to MLB.com. “I know there is interest on our side. We’ll see what happens throughout this camp, if they approach us and get deeper and deeper into discussion.”

Schwarber said winning takes care of everything and is the easiest way to get an extension.

“The best line I have ever heard on that is from Jon Lester,” Schwarber said. “The best way to get paid is to win – so I will just focus on that. It’s what I have always focused on.”

Will Phillies Keep Their Veteran Core Together?

The Philadelphia Phillies have come close, as they lost to the New York Mets in the 2024 National League Division Series. Schwarber hopes they get further in 2025.

“I feel like the pickups we’ve made have been quality,” Schwarber said. “And obviously we lost some quality people, but at the end of the day, it’s going to come down to us. We know that we have a good team.”

Schwarber believes the team’s core has been together long enough to win it all this season.

“We’ve had about the same core of players for the last, going on Year 3, Year 4, so we know what we have,” Schwarber said. “I don’t think there’s any shock and I don’t think we’re going to shock anyone else. Everyone knows the lineup and everyone knows the pitchers’ names and the guys in the bullpen. It’s just going to come down to us to figure out a way to get where we want to be.”

Should Schwarber not sign an extension, he will be one of the most sought-after free agents this winter.