Red Sox: Kyle Schwarber comments on looming free agency, if he’ll be back

When the Boston Red Sox acquired Kyle Schwarber at the trade deadline, they were hoping he’d be more than a rental. 

With the Red Sox’s season ending on Friday night, so to could Schwarber’s tenure in Boston. One of Chaim Bloom’s chief concerns will be whether he should re-sign Schwarber this coming offseason.

Schwarber said all the right things postgame, even that he’d like to stay in Boston should the contract present itself. The simple fact remains, though, that Schwarber plays baseball for a living, not just for fun.

“I wish I could tell everyone I’m going to (return),” Schwarber said. “I just want to say thank you to the whole group. Being the new guy coming in, it’s not easy, right? The thing is I never played with any one of these guys before. No previous experience. These guys made it so easy on me just to be able to come in. And me being hurt, like, they could all look at me sideways and think why did we trade for a guy that’s hurt, right?”

Red Sox: Will Kyle Schwarber return?

Schwarber slashed .291/.435/.522 over his final 41 regular season games with the Red Sox. This continued into the postseason, where Schwarber has seen sustained success during his time in Boston and previously with the Chicago Cubs, where he won a World Series.

“And, I mean, this is definitely a clubhouse that I could see myself wanting to stay in. These guys are amazing. I said this, it’s two World Series teams going at it. This is a World Series clubhouse, and I would love to hopefully see if that opportunity comes back,” Schwarber said.

In his brief time in Boston, Schwarber already has become a fan favorite. Per Spotrac, Schwarber is likely to demand upwards of $13 million per season. The Red Sox can afford that, but it remains to be seen if they deem Schwarber worth the money.