Earlier this year, FanSided's MLB insider Robert Murray urged the Philadelphia Phillies to sign Kyle Schwarber to a contract extension rather than letting him enter a contract season.
"It’s unclear what a Schwarber extension would ultimately look like, but Teoscar Hernandez’s new three-year, $66 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers could provide a worthy comparison," Murray wrote. "They are different players, of course, but both are corner outfield/designated hitter types, and a three or four-year contract worth north of $20 million per season would seem to be a realistic target."
The Phillies didn't end up finding an extension for the talented slugger and it's already aging quite horribly for the team. Meanwhile, Schwarber is playing himself into a massive contract this season.
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Kyle Schwarber quietly playing himself into a massive new contract
The Phillies likely could have signed Schwarber to an extension worth around $20 million per year, but the team could be looking at a massive extension in free agency when Schwarber gets there. Why? Because he's outperformed expectations by quite a bit early in the season. While he's mostly been a slugger for his big league career, he seems to be a bit more than that this season.
Schwarber is slashing a ridiculous .257/.398/.576 with the fourth-best OPS in the league. The slugger has done what he does best and smashed 18 home runs in just over 50 games, tying him for the league lead. He's added a few doubles and a triple as well. The veteran added a home run and the game winning hit earlier this weekend as the Phillies pushed their winning streak closer to double digits.
At this point, it seems as though the Phillies should have re-signed him to a new contract during the offseason. If Philadelphia could have landed a four-year, $80 million deal with Schwarber in February, it would have caught some heat. But now, that contract looks like a steal.
Philadelphia is going to struggle to retain the slugger in free agency. Although there is a limited market for a designated hitter, there will be a hot market for a slugger like Schwarber. There aren't very many players in the league who can swing it like the slugging lefty.