The Philadelphia Phillies could make a major trade after re-signing Kyle Schwarber.
The most important task on the Philadelphia Phillies' offseason to-do list has been completed, as the Phillies officially re-signed Kyle Schwarber on a five-year, $150 million contract.
It seems pretty clear that Schwarber never really wanted to go anywhere, and once Philadelphia gave him that fifth year, it was a pretty easy sell for the NL MVP runner-up.
But what will the Phillies do now?
Surely, Philadelphia cannot just retain Schwarber and call it a day. It has been bounced from the NLDS each of the last two seasons, so changes need to be made.
The problem is that the Phillies are almost surely out on top free agents Kyle Tucker and Cody Bellinger after re-upping with Schwarber, so president Dave Dombrowsk may have to get creative.
Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer has pitched a blockbuster solution.
"To this end, what matters now is what they do next. Ketel Marte is out there as a trade chip, and other names associated with the Phillies include Cody Bellinger and Tatsuya Imai," Rymer wrote.
Marte would be one heck of an addition for Philadelphia, even if it would cost the Phillies a pretty penny in terms of prospect capital.
Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte. Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images.The Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman slashed .283/.376/.517 with 28 home runs and 72 RBI over 556 plate appearances in 2025 and is just two seasons removed from belting 36 homers and posting a .932 OPS. On top of that, Marte plays tremendous defense at his position.
Marte is under contract through 2031 (the last year is a player option) on an average annual salary of $19.4 million. He is slated to earn just $16 million in 2026, an absolute bargain for a guy who is genuinely one of the best players in baseball.
The caveat is that Marte is 32 years old, which could cause the Phillies to balk when it comes to the trade cost. One of Andrew Painter, Aidan Miller or Justin Crawford would have go in the deal, and it stands to reason that the Diamondbacks may ask for two of the three.
Considering that Philadelphia does not have a ton of depth in its farm system, trading any of those prospects — let alone two of them — would be a tough pill to swallow.
At the same time, though, Schwarber himself is 32 years old, and the Phils just gave him $30 million annually. Bryce Harper is 33 and is making $27.5 million per year the next three seasons and then $23.5 million between 2029 and 2031.
The point? The Phillies aren't getting any younger. They are in win-now mode, so trading prospects for Marte may be the proper solution, even if it would sting.