Kyle Schwarber will forever be loved in Chicago, as he was a key member of the Cubs 2016 World Series-winning core. Unlike many of those same Cubs, Schwarber is still playing at a high-enough level to warrant some reunion chatter. Schwarber made history on Wednesday, hitting his 300th career home run. While Cubs fans would love to have Schwarber back in their lineup come 2026, it could come at a significant cost.
Schwarber will be one of the top free agents on the market next winter, meaning he will receive top dollar from some interested party. Here is what former MLB GM Jim Bowden, currently writing for The Athletic, had to say about Schwarber's free agent prospects:
"He’s (Schwarber) a player most teams will covet if they have an opening or flexibility at the DH spot. The Phillies want to retain Schwarber and are prepared to give him a long-term contract at the appropriate time. However, several other teams would love to have him."
With that in mind, could a Cubs reunion be on the table? Keep in mind, it'll come at significant cost, and there's really only one pathway to Jed Hoyer taking such a gamble.
Will the Chicago Cubs consider a Kyle Schwarber reunion?
As Cubbies Crib's Ryan O'Rourke noted, the Cubs could learn the hard way that talent like Schwarber's (and now Tucker) is worth spending on.
"Power like Schwarber's is rare and, combined with the clubhouse presence he brings, it can be game-changing. It's hard not to feel happy about how he's realized his potential, even if it's not with the Cubs. This team has to learn, however, that pop like that is worth paying for when the opportunity arises," O'Rourke wrote.
The issue with signing Schwarber to a long-term deal is that the Cubs will scrounge for every possible dollar to keep Kyle Tucker under contract as well. Some pundits have projected Tucker to receive offers close to $600 million. Heck, even a $500 million valuation could be too high for the Cubs to remotely consider. Tucker is an elite left-handed bat who can hit for average and power, and isn't a black hole on defense. There aren't many players like him in MLB, which makes his skillset all the more valuable.
If the Cubs do sign Schwarber, it'll likely be because they lost out on Tucker. That is not what Cubs fans want to hear, but it's unfortunately the hard truth. The Ricketts family likes to cry poor when asked to open their wallets, and signing both Tucker and Schwarber to high-AAV deals is out of the question unless one of them is open to a short-term contract. Unsurprisingly, that's a farfetched proposition.