Kyle Schwarber Is a Dream Fit for the Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are looking to take a leap into contention next season. Kyle Schwarber could be the piece that gets them there.
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There’s a real argument for designated hitter Kyle Schwarber as the face of the free agent market this winter.
Coming off of a second-place finish for National League Most Valuable Player, the 32-year-old is set for a lucrative contract this offseason. In four seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies, Schwarber had a 133 wRC+ and tied for the second most home runs in baseball.
Because of this production, many view it as unlikely he leaves the City of Brotherly Love. However, his hometown Cincinnati Reds may be a dream fit for his services.
Fresh off their first postseason berth since 2013, the Reds enter the winter in starvation for offense. As they wait for a true breakout from shortstop Elly De La Cruz, complementing him with elite power production is paramount.
But for such a young team like the Reds, how does it make sense to give a massive contract to a designated hitter? Moreover, why would Schwarber go to a team coming off an 83-win season?
Let’s examine the fit for both parties, starting with the Reds.
Maintaining Deep Pitching Staff
At the outset of the offseason, speculation arose the Reds may use ace Hunter Greene as a trade chip to acquire offense.
While behind Greene is a deep rotation, it becomes much less potent without him. Sure, southpaw Andrew Abbott made the All-Star team in 2025, but he doesn’t dominate the way you’d expect an ace to.
After Abbott follows Nick Lodolo, Brady Singer, and Chase Burns, with Rhett Lowder and Chase Petty opening the year in Triple-A. Again, subtracting Greene leaves them with a strong rotation, but having Lowder and Petty as reinforcements make the Reds much more dangerous.
Think of tradeable assets the same way you would money: Just because you have them doesn’t mean you should spend them. You never know what could happen during the season, and maintaining depth is paramount.
Even with Greene limited to 19 starts, the Reds rotation ranked second in fWAR and ninth in the majors in ERA. Removing him entirely drops them to ninth in fWAR and 15th in ERA. Still good, but hardly great.
Point being, the Reds should look elsewhere to acquire an elite offense bat. Schwarber commands nothing but money, albeit a lot of it. But he’s elite middle of the order production for a team that ranked 24th in wRC+ and 21st in home runs last season.
If the Reds want to compete for a title in 2026, they need to focus on adding assets, not subtracting. Adding Schwarber into the mix while keeping Greene on the roster is the recipe for this team taking another step forward.
Run Production in Addition to Elly De La Cruz
As previously mentioned, the Reds are waiting for De La Cruz to take a jump into superstardom offensively.
He’s a counting stats darling, with 22 homers and 37 stolen bases in 2025, but a 109 wRC+ won’t suffice from a franchise face. That said, he tied TJ Friedl for the team lead at 109. However, that’s more indicative of Cincinnati’s need for offense.
Free agent Miguel Andujar was the only one with a higher mark and over 100 plate appearances.
The Reds could bring Andujar back, he’s a career 107 wRC+ hitter. But Cincinnati needs more consistent thump in the order. Not just home runs, but someone who will reach base and drive in runs, period.
Schwarber hit 56 home runs in 2025. For comparison, that’s more than any single Reds hitter has in the last two seasons combined. Dating back to the beginning of the 2023 season, only De La Cruz and Spencer Steer exceed that total, but at 60 and 64, respectively. That puts into perspective how impactful his bat would be for this Reds lineup that is in need of a power surge.
Right now, FanGraphs’ projected lineup has Steer in the cleanup spot protecting De La Cruz. While a duo, Steer’s projected just a 103 wRC+. Meanwhile, Schwarber is projected a 130 with 38 homers according to Steamer. Both numbers could reasonably go up with this marriage for the reason listed next.
| PROJECTED LINEUP W/ KYLE SCHWARBER |
| TJ Friedl (L) CF |
| Noelvi Marte RF |
| Elly De La Cruz (S) SS |
| Kyle Schwarber (L) DH |
| Spencer Steer 1B |
| Gavin Lux (L) LF |
| Tyler Stephenson C |
| Ke’Bryan Hayes 3B |
| Matt McLain 2B |
Lefty Power Hitters Love Great American Ball Park
According to Park Factor, the Reds’ home ballpark is the second-friendliest environment for lefty homers since 2023. Ironically, it only trails Schwarber’s most recent team at Citizen’s Bank Park.
That said, in the three years prior to Schwarber signing in Philadelphia, Cincinnati ranked second to only Toronto in that same metric. Philadelphia, for sake of argument, ranked ninth.
Needless to say, it hasn’t mattered what lefties go to Cincinnati; they mash. Whereas there’s a clear correlation in Philly’s rise in friendliness to lefties to Schwarber signing there.
That said, the Reds themselves haven’t taken advantage of this luxury in recent years, as they’ve gotten a 100 wRC+ out of their lefties at home since 2023. Whereas opposing lefties have a 112 wRC+ at Great American Ball Park.
Schwarber’s recent numbers in Cincinnati don’t reflect the friendly environment, but that’s 12 isolated games since 2022 against one of baseball’s strongest pitching staffs. He’d go a long way in improving the Reds lineup, as well as taking advantage of their home ballpark.
Schwarber Emerges as a Hometown Hero
Signing with the Reds would be a homecoming of sorts for Schwarber. The slugger attended Middletown High School in Ohio, where he hit .408 in his four seasons of Varsity Ball.
One thing about the 32-year-old that’s special, beyond his production, is his connectivity with fans. We saw him emerge as a pseudo local hero in 2021 when he donned the nickname “Kyle from Waltham” during his Boston Red Sox tenure. Should he join the Reds, he’d actually be a local hero.
It’s hard to infer an athlete’s motivations in free agency, but that’s an element to Schwarber’s that’s worth monitoring.
That storyline would be a lot of fun to follow for the next four-plus years. Especially since Cincinnati is one of the better markets in the sport when the Reds are good. Having a hometown player to root for, in addition to a young and exciting team, gives fans a reason to consistently show out.
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