Kyle Schwarber signing a five-year, $150 million deal to remain with the Philadelphia Phillies was far from shocking. Sure, it was an expensive deal, but it was going to take a ton for a team to win the Schwarber sweepstakes. What was surprising, though, was the offers made by the teams that fell short.
It actually appears to have been a closer race for Schwarber than otherwise anticipated. The Baltimore Orioles, Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates were among the teams that made offers, according to The Athletic's ($) Ken Rosenthal, and they made better offers than most expected. With that being said, some wound up being better than others.
3. Pittsburgh Pirates: Four years, $120 million
Who had the Pittsburgh Pirates making a serious offer for Kyle Schwarber? I know I didn't expect this. A four-year, $120 million deal is the exact same AAV offered by the Phillies, who won his services. That, for a team like the Pirates that's always been reluctant to spend anything, is eye-opening.
Still, this ranks third on the list because they stopped their bidding at four years. It's a good offer, but for the Pirates to have had a shot at signing Schwarber, they had to go above and beyond. Given the team's lack of success in recent years, it was going to be all about the money for Schwarber to end up in Pittsburgh.
Not offering him a fifth year, in their situation, was never going to get it done, even if they got the AAV right. Bob Nutting does deserve some credit, though, for even giving Schwarber a respectable offer.
2. Cincinnati Reds: Five years, $125 million
The Cincinnati Reds' offer fell short AAV-wise, as their five-year, $125 million offer included just a $25 million AAV. Still, their offer did include the extra year, allowing for Schwarber to receive more in total dollars than he would've from Pittsburgh, and there are a couple of other reasons why this Reds offer ranks above Pittsburgh's, too.
First, Schwarber is an Ohio native, hailing from Middletown. He clearly wanted to re-sign with the Phillies, but there's a non-zero chance that his second choice would've been to go home and play for the Reds. Second, the Reds are somewhat of a contender. They might not have been World Series favorites with Schwarber, but they made the playoffs last season without him. With his bat improving their lineup, the Reds could've done some serious damage in October.
Ultimately, though, money talks. The Reds got to five years, but refused to offer the $5 million in AAV over those five years to match Philadelphia. Getting the years right is important for an older DH, but there was more work to be done.
1. Baltimore Orioles: Five years, $150 million
This might've been the biggest surprise of all. It might not be shocking that the Baltimore Orioles were in on Schwarber, given their need for another big bat, but they matched the Phillies' offer. Penny for penny, the Orioles were right there. That wasn't expected for a team that doesn't play in a huge market.
Now, Schwarber was never going to abandon the Phillies for Baltimore on the same deal, but the Orioles were the only team (that we know of) to actually match what it took to get a deal done with Schwarber. They were willing to give the 32-year-old the years and AAV necessary to get him to sign on the dotted line.
It didn't end up working out in the end, but Orioles fans should be thrilled by this revelation. If the Orioles had $150 million to spend over the next five years on a DH, they must have the funds at their disposal to do some serious damage and make the team much better, right?
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