Ex-Reds GM's Kyle Schwarber 'wish' would be another brutal turn for Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates are reportedly all in on landing big time free-agent Kyle Schwarber, with an alleged $100 million being offered. However there have been some reports that the Schwarber sweepstakes will be heading to Cincinnati, with one former Red's GM adding the move to his offseason 'wish list'.

Former Reds GM and current columnist at The Athletic Jim Bowden envisioned over the weekend that it might be fun if Cincinnati landed Schwarber, offering him a five-year contract worth $160 million in Bowden's dream.

" I think he probably returns to the Phillies, but I can wish this for Reds fans, can’t I?"

Jim Bowden

Bowden went on to write the thought of having Schwarber at Great American Ballpark could shake up the league, and could help put the Reds over the top and make them real contenders.

"Signing Schwarber, who grew up in Middleton, Ohio, would shock baseball and be a game-changer for the Reds’ offense and their clubhouse."

Jim Bowden

Is there any reason to believe Bowden's "wish" could come true? Philadelphia Phillies President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski has commented this offseason on various players from his squad testing free agency, predicting the direction they'll take as an organization if certain stars leave.

"We've had a lot of conversations, but some of them haven't moved forward in some cases, Dombrowski said. "Now if we need to, we would move forward."

Is it possible the Phils do move on from Schwarber? And is it also possible he'll be choosing between NL Central rivals?

Can Pirates stay in the Schwarber sweepstakes?

It's bad enough having Schwarber in Philadelphia, but if he were to sign with an NL Central rival like Cincinnati, it would be nightmare fuel for Pittsburgh fans. The Pirates are in desperate need of a big bat like that of Schwarber's, and missing out on this signing would put Pittsburgh in dire straits if they can't find someone with half the pop of the 32-year-old slugger.

Cincinnati, too, is in need of some fine tuning to their offense. They made a late push in the regular season to reach the playoffs, but that was mostly off the strength of their pitching. If they can add some meaningful offensive pieces like Schwarber, they could be in a great position to compete for a division title. The Reds finished 12 games ahead of the Pirates in the standings in 2025, earning the third spot in the division while Pittsburgh was dead last.

Schwarber's decision is certainly going to come down to dollar signs. A player of his stature and his age is going to be looking for a big multi-year contract. Can the Pirates supply that kind of contract? Will the Reds be more open to spending? Both organizations have payrolls in the bottom half of the league, and signing Schwarber could be the biggest free agent contract in the history of either one of these teams.

The last time the Pirates signed a free agent to a multi-year contract was in 2016 when they signed pitcher Ivan Nova to a three-year deal worth $26 million. The biggest contract in Pirates history belongs to Bryan Reynolds, who signed an eight-year contract extension in 2023 for $106.75 million.