Kyle Schwarber Contract Offers from Reds, More Reportedly Revealed After Phillies Deal

Kyle Schwarber turned down multiple competitive offers before accepting a five-year, $150 million contract from the Philadelphia Phillies, according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.

Rosenthal reported the Baltimore Orioles were prepared to give him the exact same deal. The Cincinnati Reds also went to five years, though the total value was around $125 million. The Pittsburgh Pirates, meanwhile, matched his $30 million average salary from Philly, albeit over a four-year term.

The Phillies were bound to enjoy the incumbent's advantage with Schwarber. He has slugged .507 with 187 home runs during his four years in Philadelphia, and the team has reached the playoffs in each of those seasons.

Schwarber Blasts 55th Homer

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Unless a team was willing to surpass Philly's offer, there wasn't much point in bidding. Baltimore's aggression might've actually backfired as Rosenthal reported it "essentially forced the Phillies to offer the same terms."

The identities of Schwarber's three confirmed suitors is at least interesting because fans of the Orioles, Reds and Pirates have all lamented a lack of spending from ownership.

The year-end payrolls for Cincinnati and Pittsburgh ranked 23rd and 26th, respectively, while Baltimore was only slightly higher in 17th.

MLB.com's Anthony DiComo reported the Orioles have arranged to meet with first baseman Pete Alonso during the MLB winter meetings. Rosenthal wrote outfielder Kyle Tucker and starting pitchers Framber Valdez and Ranger Suárez could be on their radar as well.

Missing out on Schwarber may not disrupt Baltimore's overall plan for the offseason.

Cincinnati, on the other hand, saw this as a special opportunity. Rosenthal reported the Reds were motivated by the idea the left-handed power hitter, as a native of Middletown, Ohio, would potentially help increase ticket sales in addition to the value he provided on the field.

As such, president of baseball operations Nick Krall may not take the $120 million earmarked for Schwarber and spend it on another big free agent.