By Jon Paul HoornstraShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberMLB Trade Rumors predicted free agent Kyle Schwarber would command a five-year, $135 million contract this offseason, a figure befitting a three-time All-Star coming off a career-high 56-homer season.
The Cincinnati Reds seldom pay marquee value for three-time All-Stars. Before Joey Votto's 12-year, $251.5 million extension in 2012, the largest contract the Reds had issued by total dollars was Ken Griffey Jr.'s nine-year, $112.5 million contract in 2000.
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Maybe it's time for Schwarber to fill in that gap. At least former Philadelphia Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. isn't ruling it out.
...Amaro said on The Phillies Show Tuesday that Reds manager "Terry Francona's going to have some influence here. I've got to believe he is pushing hard to get these types of guys, if at all possible."
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"If the Cincinnati Reds are serious about being a contender, you sign JT (Realmuto) and then you follow it up with signing Kyle Schwarber," Amaro said. "They're best friends. They really, like, care for each other. And that move, much like we did with (former Phillies stars) David Bell and Jim Thome ... I can see the Cincinnati Reds jumping forward and trying to get JT done, and then follow it up with — I know it's a lot of money, but they've got some money and they've got some pretty good talent. I don't know if they have that kind of money."
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Amaro went on to say that he had no inside knowledge of the Reds' offseason priorities, but emphasized that "they have the money to get JT and Schwarber."
Schwarber, 32, is from Middletown, Ohio, and could be lured by the ability to play close to home at the hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park. He has averaged 44 home runs and 101 RBIs a season from 2021-25 for the Phillies, Boston Red Sox and Washington Nationals.
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Realmuto, 34, is also a three-time All-Star who is known as a strong game-caller and ranks third among active catchers in caught stealing percentage (31.8).
Neither veteran will come cheap. But the Reds have no players signed to a guaranteed contract beyond 2026, potentially setting them up for a splash this offseason.
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