Bryce Harper enjoys having teammate Kyle Schwarber around. And how could he not? The two have been together on the Philadelphia Phillies since 2022, and Schwarber has a reputation as a good guy to have in the clubhouse. Oh, and someone you want around if you’re looking for power, too.
Even in Schwarber’s worst year with the Phils, in which he batted a mere .197, he still hit 47 long balls and managed to be a well above-average hitter thanks to not just that pop, but a .343 on-base percentage that bested plenty of players who hit for much higher batting averages. All told, Schwarber has hit .224/.349/.496 with 145 homers in three-plus seasons with Philly, but he’s a free agent at the end of this year.
And Harper is already speaking on that subject, and where he stands on it. In a recent conversation with MLB.com, Harper said that, “I don’t want him to go anywhere else,” Harper said. “And that’s not me saying anything to ownership or [president of baseball operations] Dave [Dombrowski]. Obviously, they want him too. And I think he wants to be here. I think he likes the community. He likes where he lives. But also, you know, it’s nice to be wanted. I don’t know if he’s going to get there [to free agency]. Like I said, I hope he doesn’t. But if he does, he’s going to have a lot of teams lined up for his services because he’s dang good.”
It’s not just the on-field aspect that Harper is concerned with, however. “He’s such a good leader. He’s such a good person in the community. Great family, great person. I think he’s a guy that obviously our team can build around. Obviously, he’s going to make a lot of money [as a free agent]. He’s going to be a very hot commodity on the market. He’s a guy that hits homers. He’s a great clubhouse guy and a leader. I hope he doesn’t get [to free agency]. He’s a guy that we can use for the next few years.”
[Related: With Vladimir Guerrero Jr. extended, who’s left in 2026’s free agent class?]
Schwarber is currently in the final year of a four-year, $79 million contract, that he was able to enter into by declining the mutual option on the 2022 season of his previous deal with the Nationals (a deal he finished up with the Red Sox following a 2021 deadline trade). There are no options or deferred dollars or signing bonuses or anything in this Phillies’ deal, just a straightforward payout. Given he’ll be entering his age-33 season in 2026, it’s likely that Schwarber would be open to another short-term, high average annual value deal, and that he’s primarily a designated hitter in a league where every team now uses one opens up possibilities around the league for risking the continuation of his high-level production.
As Harper says, Schwarber is going to be wanted. The Phillies will certainly have competition for his services. But it’s hard to believe they’d easily find a better bat than Schwarber’s out on the market, at a lower cost in either players or dollars.
The 32-year-old Schwarber is currently in the midst of a 46-game on-base streak, which he extended with a home run on Sunday. One of two that the powerful lefty launched on the day, giving him an MLB-leading 14 for the season.
Whether Harper even needs to be concerned is up for debate. Phillies’ owner John Middleton has been open about his desire to spend if it thinks it will help bring a World Series championship back to Philadelphia, such as in a 2024 feature at Sports Illustrated, and they opened the 2025 season with the fourth-highest Opening Day payroll in the league. Putting in a word in public for your teammate can’t hurt, though.
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