Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber (12) walks back to the dugout after striking out in the first inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds, Monday, April 22, 2024, at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati.
The official account for Ohio Governor Mike DeWine tweeted this week to show support for the Reds potentially signing Kyle Schwarber in free agency:
The @reds signing @kschwarb12 would add big power to the lineup and bring a Middletown native back to Southwest Ohio! https://t.co/persGV2TVT
— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) November 13, 2025
Granted, DeWine's account does say that "posts are by staff." Still, it's pretty noteworthy for an official government account to tweet that. It gives you an idea of what it would mean for Middletown, Ohio native to sign to play in his home state.
Of course, that was made pretty clear when the Phillies visited Great American Ball Park this past August:
For those wondering about the context here, Schwarber's youth coach and dad were the recipients of the Reds' annual Paul Kramer Awards this year. So, the Reds had them throw out first pitches as part of that -- and, obviously, they did it tonight to have Schwarber be part of it.
As I discussed on an episode of Phillies Stoplight🚦at that time, the whole thing came off as strange to me:
From an on-field perspective, though, the Reds do make quite a bit of sense for Schwarber. The Reds have a great trio of starters at the top of their starting rotation with Hunter Greene, Andrew Abbott and Nick Lodolo, and snuck into the postseason by virtue of their 83-79 record. But despite playing their home games at Great American Ball Park — which consistently ranks in the top five of most hitter-friendly parks — the Reds finished just 14th in runs scored during the regular season. Terry Francona's lineup desperately needs a sure thing with thump in their lineup, and obviously that's a perfect description of Schwarber.
Schwarber didn't exactly squash the idea of one day playing in Cincinnati when asked about it in August:
"I’ve always said that at some point in your career, if you would ask the childhood Kyle what team you’d like to play for, it would be Cincinnati," Schwarber said to The Athletic's C. Trent Rosecrans Monday. "I think those are natural thoughts, that it would be appealing. But you never know what happens in free agency. Going through it a couple of times now, it’s an interesting scenario."
What may very well squash the possibility of Schwarber playing for the team he grew up rooting for are the financial constraints placed upon management by owner Bob Castellini. President of baseball operations Nick Krall said earlier this month that he anticipates Cincinnati's budget being "around the same as our payroll from 2025.” The Reds finished the season with a total payroll of $119 million, with Spotrac saying that was 23rd among all teams. When you factor in arbitration-eligible players, Spotrac estimates that the Reds already have $97.3 million in commitments. A $30 million salary for Schwarber, give or take, would put them well over that without making any other additions. Sure, the Reds could trade off a few pieces or temporarily increase their budget, but they may struggle to convince Schwarber that they could put a contending team around him consistently for the remainder of his career.
Whether it's the Reds, Chicago Cubs or Boston Red Sox, there are unquestionably going to be other teams who make a run at Schwarber. If the Reds actually do — which it's fair to be skeptical they will — they might be the hardest team for the Phillies to fend off given Schwarber's childhood affinity for the team. Still, the bet here is that if this comes down to dollars, the Phillies will place the highest bid for Schwarber, because the NL MVP runner-up is that integral to the team.
