Bryce Harper has not been anywhere close to the Philadelphia Phillies’ best hitter in 2025, and he’s hoping that the slugger who’s currently stealing his shine sticks around.
Harper is the face of the Phillies franchise, and winning a title while he’s under contract is the only priority anyone in the building has. As part of the core they’re built in the Harper era, the Phillies signed power-hitting designated hitter Kyle Schwarber before the 2022 season.
Schwarber has always been a steady presence for the Phillies, but he’s taken things to a completely new level in 2025. Through 40 games, he’s tied with Aaron Judge for the major league home run lead with 14, and is rocking a .998 OPS, fifth-best in the sport.
Because Schwarber is headed to free agency this winter, he’s setting himself up for a huge payday. And though he’s expressed his desire to stay in Philadelphia, there will be plenty of other teams lining up to get a crack at him.
After the Phillies’ 3-0 Sunday night victory in which Schwarber hit a pair of home runs to drive in all three runs, Harper expressed his desire to keep his power-hitting teammate in cherry red for the foreseeable future.
“I don’t want him to go anywhere else,” Harper said, per MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki. “And that’s not me saying anything to ownership or Dave [Dombrowski]. Obviously, they want him too. And I think he wants to be here. I think he likes the community. He likes where he lives.
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“But also, you know, it’s nice to be wanted. I don’t know if he’s going to get there [to free agency]. Like I said, I hope he doesn’t. But if he does, he’s going to have a lot of teams lined up for his services because he’s dang good.”
Last time around, Schwarber got four years, $79 million after a good 2021 season, but a slightly uneven track record. This time, he’s 32 years old, but has been the model of consistency, meaning he stands a strong chance of getting $100 million-plus.
Of course, extending Schwarber, as Harper hints, could still be on the table. But however they get it done, the Phillies can make a lot of fans happy by finalizing a long-term partnership with the fan-favorite slugger.
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