Should the Red Sox sign free agent slugger Kyle Schwarber?

Welcome again to the 2025-26 version of Smash or Pass, through which we look at potential free agent and commerce targets to find out whether or not the Crimson Sox ought to pursue them and what it might take to land them. Right this moment we have a look at a slugger who has already thrived in Boston.

Who’s he and the place does he come from?

You understand rattling effectively who he’s. He’s Kyle Schwarber, and he must be coming off a four-year deal in Boston that was signed after ending his age-28 season with the Crimson Sox in 2021. He’s as a substitute coming from Philadelphia, a spot the place he smashed 187 house runs and knocked in 434 runs, whereas averaging 157 video games in his 4 seasons there. He beforehand performed six seasons for the Cubs after they drafted him fourth general in 2014, and break up the 2021 season between the Nationals and the Crimson Sox.

Exterior of Aaron Decide and Shohei Ohtani, who’ve mixed for seven MVPs this decade, he’s the most effective energy hitter within the sport of baseball. Over his 4 years with Philadelphia, Schwarber’s 187 house runs had been tied for second with Ohtani, solely bested by Decide’s 210. Nobody else was even near this trio, with fellow free-agent Pete Alonso in fourth at 158 house runs.

His statcast, particularly for a 32-year-old, is beautiful. No one, not even Shohei Ohtani, had a better Exhausting Hit % in MLB than Schwarber’s 59.6%. His bat pace of 77.3 mph is fifth in baseball. Usually reserved for the youngsters within the league, the highest 4 in bat pace are Oneil Cruz (age 27), Junior Caminero (22), Jordan Walker (23), and Jo Adell (26).

Schwarber’s stroll price of 14.9% sits within the top-3 percentile as effectively, resulting in a .346 profession OBP in comparison with a .231 profession batting common. The strikeouts are excessive, with a 28.4% Ok-rate that has been regular all through his profession, the lone blemish on an otherwise red Savant page.

TL;DR: simply give me his 2025 stats.

162 Video games, 724 PAs, .240/.365/.563, 56 HR, 132 RBI, 111 HR, 10 SB, 14.9 BB%, 27.2 Ok%, 4.9 fWAR, 2nd in NL MVP

Why would he be an excellent match on the Crimson Sox?

As a result of he was already an excellent match on the Crimson Sox. A participant who has notably stayed on the sphere all through his profession, Schwarber was paradoxically acquired whereas on the Injured Checklist in 2021 by Boston. He break up his time between left area and first base, a place which he had not but performed in his main league profession, serving to Boston attain the playoffs. Schwarber has participated within the playoffs in 10 of his 11 large league seasons, amassing 296 plate appearances over 73 playoff video games, and swatting 23 house runs. For a staff that appears to be on the upswing, Schwarber’s bat and veteran presence can be welcomed on this staff.

And since he embraced the “Kyle from Waltham” nickname given to him by the Part 10 podcast in his first go-around, for merely trying like a Boston native.

Why wouldn’t he be an excellent match on the Crimson Sox?

As a result of the Crimson Sox haven’t shopped on this bucket all too typically lately. Over the previous decade, the one two nine-figure free agent contracts that the staff has signed are Trevor Story (6/$140M) in 2022 and J.D. Martinez (5/$110M) in 2018.

Schwarber can also be nearly solely a delegated hitter at this level in his profession, enjoying simply 13 video games mixed within the outfield over the previous two seasons. Between Triston Casas and Masataka Yoshida as DH candidates, no less than one commerce would must be made. Schwarber was a catcher for the Cubs in his 2015 rookie season, so maybe that may very well be revisited?

Lastly, he’s a left-handed hitter in an already unbalanced lineup the place as Pete Alonso is a viable resolution with super energy, who hits from the fitting facet.

What wouldn’t it take to get him?

I’m trusting Kylie on this one. Schwarber’s getting 4 years, and it’ll in all probability be near $30M AAV.

The grand slam towards the Astros in Recreation 3 of the ALCS has gotten essentially the most publicity over time, so I’ll go together with his mammoth house run off of Gerrit Cole within the one-game Wild Card playoff. The quick flip to calmly have fun with the bench is a factor of magnificence. However to be trustworthy, I’m principally biased in the direction of this one as a result of the ball landed ten ft to my proper.

On a staff that lacked a professional energy menace for a lot of the 2025 season, and definitely within the playoffs, no participant on the free agent or commerce market can maintain that drawback like Kyle Schwarber. He has quite a lot of playoff expertise and has performed below Alex Cora whereas becoming in effectively in Boston. Whereas he’s coming into his age-33 season, Schwarber’s arduous hit knowledge and bat pace stay as elite as it may possibly get, making it troublesome to see too steep a dropoff within the close to future.

Whereas I’d in all probability choose Alonso to Schwarber, each due to the right-handed bat and the power to play the sphere, albeit with restricted vary, a longer-term dedication could also be wanted to accumulate Alonso. As a possibility to proper a unsuitable that occurred 4 years in the past, Schwarber is a straightforward smash in my ebook.