The Philadelphia Phillies have agreed to a deal with free-agent outfielder Kyle Schwarber, CBS Sports HQ's Jim Bowden confirmed. Schwarber had previously been connected with the Toronto Blue Jays and Colorado Rockies, among others. Schwarber's pact is for four years and $79 million, per MLB Network's Jon Heyman.
Schwarber, 29 years old, split last season with the Washington Nationals and Boston Red Sox. He batted .266/.374/.554 (148 OPS+) with 32 home runs. His play was such that he earned his first career All-Star Game appearance and racked up a personal-best 3.1 Wins Above Replacement, per Baseball Reference's calculations.
Schwarber entered the offseason ranked by CBS Sports as the 26th-best free agent. Here's what we wrote at the time:
Schwarber is certain to forego his mutual option in favor of again hitting the open market. Unlike last winter, when he was non-tendered by the Cubs, he's entering the open market on the heels of a fantastic season. He split the year between D.C. and Boston, batting .266/.374/.554 with 32 home runs. Schwarber's offensive game remains predicated on hitting the ball hard and taking walks, and nothing much has changed in that respect. Defensively, he made his first nine career starts at first base. It went about as you'd expect, with Schwaber looking inexperienced to the point where he was, at times, a threat unto himself with his footwork . ( On other, less concerning occasions, he resembled a bear trying to snag a leaping trout .) Schwarber should improve at the cold corner with a full offseason and spring of training. Let's be honest: no one is signing him because of his glove, anyway.
The Phillies had been on the hunt for outfield help. Schwarber could split time between left field and designated hitter, depending on who else Philadelphia adds the rest of the winter. It's been a busy week for Philadelphia, as Dave Dombrowski and Sam Fuld have also signed outfielder Odúbel Herrera and relievers Brad Hand and Jeurys Familia since Major League Baseball's owner-imposed lockout ended.
