Kyle Schwarber was the Phillies’ standout performer in 2025, hitting 56 home runs and driving in 132 runs. Despite his impressive performances, the Phillies have not yet managed to resolve his future, and that has not gone down well with a Phillies legend who had a clear message for General Manager Dave Dombrowski. 

Greg “the Bull” Luzinski, a former designated hitter who won the DH of the Year award twice while playing for the Chicago Cubs, gave his thoughts on Schwarber and what the team needs to do on Phillies Extra, The Inquirer’s baseball podcast. Luzinski got right to the heart of what Schwarber was worth. “Schwarber, he’s a worker. You guys can see how he works, obviously, in the cage, and he hits during the game in the cage,” Luzinski explained. Drawing from his own experience as a DH, Luzinski articulated a fundamental principle: “If you’re not an offensive player, there’s no sense having a DH. He has to be an offensive player. There’s no question about it. And I think Schwarber proved this year that he’s an offensive player, along with some of his past years, that he can drive the ball.”

But just validating wasn’t enough. Luzinski stressed the bigger structural problem that the lineup was having. “You need a guy who can drive the ball at Citizens Bank Park. Home runs are a big part of the game for us there, and you can see we didn’t hit as many this year as we have in the past or the 2008 or 2009 team. And it hurt us.” He cited specific weaknesses: “Castellanos was behind. Marsh didn’t get going until halfway through the season, or better. So when you don’t have power at third, you don’t have power in left or right, you’re hurting a little bit as far as the lineup goes.”

The message was clear: the team needed to score more points to be competitive in 2025, when they went 96-66 but didn’t make it as far in the playoffs as they wanted.

As free agency gets closer, Schwarber’s situation is still unclear. Schwarber hit 56 home runs and drove in 132 runs during the regular season, which was the most in the National League. This puts him in a good position to get a big raise from the four-year, $79 million deal he signed originally. His leaving would be a big blow to a team that still aspires to win the World Series. The Phillies have a big choice to make this offseason: should they keep their best offensive player or look for other ways to compete?

Phillies face tough choices as Schwarber, Realmuto, and Suárez head to free agency

The Philadelphia Phillies’ problems this offseason go far beyond Schwarber’s contract talks. Three former All-Stars, catcher J.T. Realmuto, Schwarber, and left-hander Ranger Suárez, are all entering free agency at the same time. This puts Dave Dombrowski in a tough position. The general manager has said in public that it will be hard to keep all three players, so the organization will have to make some tough decisions if it wants to stay competitive.

Ranger Suárez is likely to be the most interesting of the three on the open market. He has postseason experience that few other players can match; his 1.48 ERA over 42 2/3 playoff innings shows that he can handle the pressure of October baseball. But this pedigree may lead him to places other than Philadelphia.

Analysts have begun connecting him to other organizations. “I think I’m gonna call my shot with Ranger. He reeks of San Francisco Giants to me,” Jomboy Media’s Jake Storiale predicted on Monday’s “Wake n Jake” podcast. “I think (president of baseball operations) Buster Posey likes a ballplayer, likes a gamer. Big pitcher’s ballpark. Ranger Suárez just feels like a match to me.”

The Giants’ pitcher-friendly dimensions at Oracle Park would, in theory, make Suárez more effective, making it a good fit for both the player and the team. Spotrac says that Suárez will sign a six-year, $162 million deal. This shows how much money it takes to get top-notch left-handed pitching in today’s market. For Philadelphia, losing Suárez would make it even harder to build a championship team while staying within its budget and trying to get Schwarber to play for them.