The Pittsburgh Pirates' Kyle Schwarber offer has more meaning than you may think.
Kyle Schwarber is easily the best free agent on the open market this offseason, and there are plenty of teams contending for a World Series that have interest in signing the National League MVP finalist from a year ago.
One of those teams that is interested in the slugger is the Pittsburgh Pirates, and Ken Rosenthal reported on Sunday night that they had officially offered Schwarber a four-year contract.
On Monday, the MLB insider gave a little more context to that deal and what it might mean for the Pirates' offseason plans as a whole, even if they don’t end up with Schwarber on their roster next season.
“Now, do I expect the Pirates to sign Kyle Schwarber? Absolutely not. But the fact that they’re in there swinging - and I reported this offer is certainly worth more than $100 million, otherwise why bother - that is a major step,” explained Rosenthal.
“I’ve been reporting all winter, or all offseason, about how the Pirates are being more aggressive, about how they’re finally trying to put a team around Paul Skenes that would be worthy of contention.”
Schwarber is coming off a 2025 season in which he had a .240/.365/.563 slash line with an OPS of .928, including a league-leading 56 home runs and 28 doubles. He would immediately make Pittsburgh’s offense better after they registered the worst team OPS in all of baseball.
Would it be awesome if Schwarber is playing his home games at PNC Park for the next four seasons? Of course! But according to Rosenthal, that reality seems pretty far-fetched.
May 17, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber (12) bats against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the fourth inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn ImagesThe biggest takeaway of this deal is that the Pirates are trying to make a splash in free agency. They know they must prove to Skenes and the fan base that they’re trying to build a playoff team, and
Will the Pirates’ big free agent addition be Schwarber? Probably not. But at this point, fans should be expecting the front office to make some sort of big move before spring training.
Rosenthal finished, “Schwarber is at the top of their list. They know he is probably going to be someone who gets a better offer from a better team, but at the same time, they’re in there."