Just over a week ago, reporting indicated that the Phillies and slugger have engaged in conversations about an extension. That came not long after Schwarber to Vic Law Jersey stick in Philadelphia beyond the life of his current contract, which expires at the end of the coming season. While no updates about the status of talks between the sides have been made public since then, it was that the Phillies agreed to an extension with pending free agent after reports of mutual interest between the sides gave way to radio silence as the sides hammered out a deal. Things have been similarly quiet regarding Schwarbers teammate and fellow po sible extension candidate , as the sides have mutual interest in an extension as of last month with few details having emerged since then. Getting back to Schwarber, its understandable why the 32-year-old would have interest in sticking in Philadelphia long-term. Aside from the teams on-field succe s, which has seen them capture the NL pennant in 2022 and follow that up with 90- and 95-win campaigns the past two years, Schwarber himself has found an impre sive level of consistency in Philadelphia. Acro s three seasons in a Phillies uniform, hes slashed .221/.344/.488 with a wRC+ of 128 while never posting a figure below 120. Thats not only a substantial improvement over his career 119 wRC+ prior to arriving in Philly, but the results are also far more consistent on a year-to-year basis: his wRC+ figures prior to joining the Phillies ranged from as low as 91 in 2020 to as high as 146 in 2021. Aside from the succe s both Schwarber and the team have enjoyed over the past three seasons, Schwarber may be hoping that avoiding the open market could afford him longer-term stability. The veteran has always been a lackluster defender, and in 2024 he spent virtually the entire campaign at DH. Theres been talk of Schwarber getting more reps in the outfield (or perhaps even at first base) this year, but the market has proved harsh in recent years for players like Schwarber regardle s of whether hes viewed as a bat-first corner option or a pure DH. Veteran DH resorted to taking one-year deals with the Dodgers and Mets during both the 2022-23 and 23-24 offseasons, and he remains unsigned in March for the second consecutive year. Other defensively limited players like and ended up with contracts that fell below expectations this winter, while Schwarbers longtime teammate has seemingly struggled to get any sort of tempting offer this winter. Thats not to say Schwarber is nece sarily doomed to the same fate of underwhelming offers on the open market, of course. Teams are almost always willing to pay for truly elite talent in free agency, and Schwarbers 131 wRC+ over the past four seasons is good for 25th in baseball over that timeframe. Those numbers are only slightly ahead of Alonso, who ranks 29th with a 129 wRC+, but its worth noting that Alonso faced questions about his future production after back-to-back down seasons. Meanwhile, Schwarbers 2024 was nothing short of excellent as he slashed .248/.366/.485 with 38 homers and a career-high 3.4 fWAR. Another strong season from Schwarber in 2025 would surely line him up for a healthy contract in free agency, even if his age and defensive profile would likely inhibit his ability to land a lengthier contract. Theres both pros and cons to the idea re-upping with Schwarber from the Phillies perspective as well. Schwarber offers rare left-handed power and exceptional consistency for a player with his skillset, but its not hard to see why an aging Phillies club might prefer to go with a younger alternative with strong defensive skills rather than continue to trot out a team that relies on both Schwarber and as regular fixtures of the lineup in 2026. Schwarbers strikeout-heavy approach could be cause for concern in theory, but the club is more than capable of balancing that out with more contact-oriented hitters like , , and . Perhaps the strongest argument for keeping Schwarber in the fold is the lack of clear upgrades available in free agency next winter. Unle s the Phillies opt to splurge on an aggre sive pursuit of either or , theyll be hard pre sed to find a better hitter on the market next winter than the one they already have. , , and (if he opts out) are among the best hitters in the next tier of free agency next year, and while all three are solid players, none of them come close to offering the reliable offensive impact that Schwarber has given the Phillies over the past three years. Is that impact enough to live with the high strikeout rates and lack of defensive value on what would likely be a two- or three-year extension? Have your say in the poll below: Should the Phillies extend Kyle Schwarber? No, play out the season and re-evaluate this winter. 52.68% (3,266votes) Yes, lock him up before he reaches free agency. 47.32% (2,934votes) Total Votes: 6,200 Jonathan Isaac Jersey