ORLANDO, Fla. – Kyle Schwarber’s decision to return to the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday morning may have stunned many, but not Alex Cora.
“I had a pretty good idea that was going to be the route,” the Boston Red Sox manager said during his MLB Winter Meetings media availability, barely two hours after the first reports of Schwarber’s new five-year, $150 million deal.
“Talking to Dave (Dombrowski) throughout the season, I don’t know if (the deal’s) official or not, but he knew that he was a huge part of what they were trying to accomplish, and moving forward,” Cora continued. “So, not surprised.”
‘It’s just money’
Dombrowski served as Boston’s president of baseball operations from August 2015 thru September 2019 and hired Cora to manage the club in November ‘17, before taking the same role with the Phillies five years ago this week. Working in a uniquely harmonious tandem with Phillies managing partner John Middleton, Dombrowski has transformed the club into perennial contenders. And perennial big spenders.
“It’s just money” is a Middleton mantra, and he puts his money where his mouth is.
The results speak for themselves. The Phillies have featured prominently in the last four seasons and postseasons, a stunning 180 for a franchise that lost the fifth-most games in the majors between 2012-21 and owned the longest active postseason drought in the National League.
It’s no coincidence the Phillies were finally able to quench said drought after signing Schwarber four years ago; the night they finally made it rain, Oct. 3, 2022, began with him homering on the first pitch of the game.
This year, Schwarber played all 162 regular-season games, led the NL with 56 home runs, represented the Phillies at the All-Star Game for the second time, and finished runner-up to Shohei Ohtani for NL MVP.
The Phillies recognized the magnitude of Schwarber’s contributions, both on the scoreboard and in the clubhouse, and made good on Middleton’s repeated promises to ‘do everything’ they could to keep him.
“Good for (Schwarber),” Cora said. “He earned it … he’s really good at what he does and what he brings to the equation on the field, off the field, to the community, is probably second to none.”
“I had the pleasure to manage him in ’21,” Cora continued, “And in a short period of time, the way he impacted the Red Sox organization, the city, I haven’t seen too many of those in our environment, in our market.”
“He’s so different than most of the guys I’ve ever been around,” echoed Phillies manager Rob Thomson in his own media session. “He’s a great player and he knows how to bring the heartbeat of a clubhouse down when things are going rough. He’s just a huge part of our ball club.”
Now what, Red Sox?
Undeniably the biggest power bat on the free agent market, Schwarber was a clear fit for the Red Sox, who previously acquired him from the Washington Nationals at the ‘21 trade deadline and are desperately seeking a home-run hitter this offseason.
“I think we’ve been talking to a lot of people, (Schwarber) included,” said Cora. “But I think (the Phillies) was it.”
The Red Sox are far from the only team pivoting now. The Baltimore Orioles matched the Phillies’ five-year, $150 million, and Schwarber’s hometown Cincinnati Reds made a five-year offer in the $125 million range, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported. The Pittsburgh Pirates made him a stunning four-year, $120 million bid, $81 million more than their current franchise-record for a free agent, Francisco Liriano’s three-year, $39 million deal in December 2014.
On Tuesday evening, Breslow said the Red Sox front office is “obviously engaged across a bunch of different paths,” and reiterated their intention to “be aggressive and decisive.” They’ve spoken to Alex Bregman and Pete Alonso, and have been linked to a number of other free agents and trade candidates, including Bo Bichette, Ketel Marte, Isaac Paredes and Eugenio Suarez.
But if the Red Sox are on a cusp of a coup, the boss hid it well.
“There are moments in time where you feel like things are really, really close, and then just a couple minutes later or hours later, and you feel like you’re really far apart,” said Breslow. “Everybody goes into the offseason with their ideal outcomes, and you quickly realize that that’s the most unlikely path.”
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