Phillies agree to deal with Kyle Schwarber

The Phillies have agreed to a deal with free-agent outfielder Kyle Schwarber, a source told MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki. The club has not confirmed.

Schwarber, who turned 29 on March 5, was a free agent for the second straight offseason. A year ago, the Cubs non-tendered him rather than take him through his final arbitration-eligible season, with Schwarber coming off his least productive Major League campaign. In a pandemic-shortened 2020, he hit only .188 with a .701 OPS, despite launching 11 homers in 59 games.

Schwarber settled for a one-year deal (plus a 2022 mutual option) with the Nationals, who later shipped him to the Red Sox before the Trade Deadline. He also rebuilt his value, swinging a prodigious bat for both clubs to produce an overall line of .266/.374/.554 (148 OPS+)—setting a career best in each of those categories. Among hitters with at least 450 plate appearances, Schwarber ranked 15th in the Majors in OBP, 10th in slugging and ninth in OPS+.