Phillies' definitive Kyle Schwarber stance rings completely hollow

The Philadelphia Phillies are rolling out of the All-Star break, in large part due to the ongoing fireworks provided by Kyle Schwarber. The veteran DH was MVP of the All-Star Game after going 3-for-3 in the "home run swing-off," which allowed three different hitters from each team three swings each to break a ninth-inning tie. Schwarbs was the hero of the Midsummer Classic. And now, he's carrying those heroics over to the second half of the regular season.

Schwarber homered on his first swing back on Friday, making in four home runs on four swings. Pretty, pretty good. And then he did it again on Saturday, smoking the go-ahead grand slam with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Schwarber now sits at 32 home runs on the season with a team-best .944 OPS. He has been the tide raising all boats in Philadelphia's lineup. So naturally, the team wants to keep him around. Schwarber is slated to hit free agency at season's end and owner John Middleton is making it clear just how badly the Phillies desire a new contract.

"There’s nothing Kyle does that surprises us, no matter how great he is,” Middleton told reporters (h/t USA Today). “You expect that from Kyle. And he’s a great person in the dugout. He’s a great person in the clubhouse. We love him. We want to keep him. We don’t need any motivation whatsoever."

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Phillies make it clear re-signing Kyle Schwarber is the priority

This is the right attitude from John Middleton. While it's fair to quibble with the merits of paying significant long-term money to a 32-year-old with zero utility in the field and a tendency to strike out a lot, Schwarber is the exception to the rule. He's too important to Philadelphia's lineup and it's easy to envision his sharp, compact swing sustaining value for years to come.

Schwarber trails only Shohei Ohtani (33) for the most home runs in the National League this season. He couldn't have picked a better moment to put up career-best numbers, not only for his own financial outlook, but because the Phils need every bit of slug.

This is a lineup lacking in the power department right now. Bryce Harper appears to be gaining steam out of the break, which is a great sign for the Phillies. But right now, Kody Clemens, whom the Phils cut earlier this season, would be tied for third on the team in home runs with 12. Their only meaningful offseason addition on offense, Max Kepler, has 10 home runs with a .669 OPS and a negative WAR.

Phillies need to live up to their words on Kyle Schwarber

At no point has Philadelphia signaled anything but a desire to extend Schwarber. The entire clubhouse wants it. Heck, Schwarber wants it. So what's taking so long? Dave Dombrowski and John Middleton have never been afraid to pay their guys and run up the tax bill. Schwarber has earned it more than most on this roster.

This goes back to the earlier conventional wisdom of paying older DH-only bats. Schwarber strikes out a lot, he's slow on the bases and he's unusable in the field. That restricts his utility and could lead to a more dramatic decline in value once he hits the end of the proverbial road. And yet, there's still no good reason for the Phillies to let Schwarber walk. His departure would be utterly catastrophic for this team. And letting him hit the open market, rather than ponying up for an extension right now, feels way too risky. Middleton and Dombrowski need to get the deal done as soon as possible.