Dave Dombrowski has worked with six different MLB teams since 1978. He’s a two-time World Series champion and one of the most respected front-office minds in the game. Since joining the Philadelphia Phillies in 2021, he’s helped build a club capable of controlling its destiny in the NL East.
With Kyle Schwarber set to hit free agency after the 2025 season, Dombrowski and the Phillies know there will be plenty of interest in the veteran slugger.
Dave Dombrowski Speaks on Kyle Schwarber’s Future
Schwarber began his career in Chicago, spending six seasons with the Cubs. After brief stops with the Washington Nationals and Boston Red Sox in 2021, Schwarber found a home with the Phillies in 2022. Since then, Philadelphia has made the postseason in all but one of its seasons with the club.
“Well, Schwarbs has been fantastic for us,” Dombrowski said. “Four years, we’ve made it to the postseason the previous three, and I hope again we do it this year. He’s not only a quality performer. He’s a clubhouse guy. He’s a gamer. He’s what you want out of a club.”
Dombrowski continued, “We’d love to keep him part of the organization for the long term, no doubt. We’ll see where that takes us. He’s putting up big numbers, and I’m sure there’ll be a lot of other clubs that are interested in him, too. But we’d love to keep him part of the organization and hope that it happens.”
Schwarber, 32, signed a four-year, $79 million contract before the 2022 season. Age will factor into his next deal, but his production continues to impress.
After batting just .197 in 2023, Schwarber raised his average to .248 in 2024, and he’s currently hitting .253 through late May of 2025. Despite the low average two seasons ago, he launched a career-high 47 home runs in 2023, one more than the 46 he hit in 2022. He finished both the 2023 and 2024 seasons with 104 RBIs.
Kyle Schwarber: Very good hitter of baseballs. pic.twitter.com/rdKtdFF57y
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) May 21, 2025
He’s also improving at the plate. His strikeouts dropped from 215 in 2023 to 197 in 2024. In 2025, he’s continuing to adjust, posting 54 strikeouts and 42 walks in 194 at-bats. While the strikeouts are still high, his walk rate (17.5%) ranks in the top 1% of MLB.
Schwarber has finished in the top 1% in walk rate for three straight seasons. Seven of his advanced offensive metrics currently rank in the top one or two percent in all of baseball, cementing him as one of the league’s elite hitters.
The Phillies will have a tough decision to make with one of the more talented rosters in baseball. While Schwarber has given so much to the club and city, some other teams around the league may be able to offer him more than the Phillies are willing to offer. Should they let this situation get that far, seeing how Philadelphia approaches the offseason will be interesting.