Kyle Schwarber didn’t outright say that he wants to or is leaving Philadelphia- but he left enough breadcrumbs for the internet to talk about. He recently mentioned when talking about this winter, “You have your hometown team that’s calling… You always have to listen and keep different options open, and let’s see what happens.”

Now, this doesn’t really spark confidence for the Phillies.

Schwarber was born in Middletown, Ohio, and this is only a short drive from Cincinnati. And you bet, now suddenly the Reds are red-hot in the picture; in fact, Ken Rosenthal mentioned the Reds are not just interested, they are serious.

Jon Heyman doubled down on this and basically said that Cincinnati could go for a “quiet coup” for Schwarber. Now it’s no surprise, given multiple teams are interested in the guy who launched 56 home runs in 2025—including 23 off lefties.

Well, for a club that made the postseason but got swept out instantly, Kyle Schwarber is exactly the guy who can change it all. The Reds are coming off an 83-win season, which is a great jump from 77 the year before, and honestly, the franchise feels like it’s rebuilding under Terry Francona. Most of the rotation is locked in past 2025.

The core is young, exciting, and competitive, so adding Schwarber as the DH could set the entire thing in place. Reds fans might quietly be praying to the baseball gods that what Heyman and Rosenthal are predicting is true.

And really, it’s not just about the hometown connection anymore. Schwarber is 32 years old, coming off a career year, and he is likely eyeing one last huge contract. But here is the kicker, it’s not just the Reds that the Phillies should be worried about a heist from.

There are the Boston, the Pirates, and the Baltimore Orioles.

The Baltimore Orioles are now led by Craig Albernaz, and they are already beefed up with Taylor Ward and Ryan Helsley. They now want a left-handed ball in the middle of their lineup, and that fits Schwarber perfectly.

Can Cincinnati Really Make a Run at Schwarber?

The biggest question is, can the Reds even go for Schwarber? The team right now is seemingly in the process of shopping Hunter Greene away! Yes, the same guy who was red-hot this season with a 2.76 ERA and a 132/26 K/BB ratio. Not to mention Greene is getting paid way less than his worth.

So, what makes one think that if the Reds can’t even retain Greene? Will they have enough to shell out for Schwarber? Schwarber could demand $150 million. And well, rightly so.

Over the last four seasons, only Judge from the New York Yankees has hit more homers than him. He tied with Ohtani at 18,7 too. But while this is a blessing for the Reds, because when paired with their young core, the lineup looks dangerous in the NL.

But the reality all comes down to the dollars. The Reds haven’t given a nine-figure contract to anyone in over 10 years. They haven’t signed a free agent to a $100M deal in 25 years. The last one was Ken Griffey Jr, who legitimately grew up in Cincinnati. So, the math isn’t mathing, and what Rosenthal or Heyman is saying is not getting in sync.

The truth is that if a bidding war starts, the Reds simply cannot compete with the other heavyweights like the Philadelphia Phillies themselves, the Mets, the Red Sox, and more. Unless Schwarber, of course, gives a hometown discount, which seems unlikely.

Schwarber does have sentimental ties to Ohio, but free agency hardly moves according to sentiment.