Update: The Phillies are basically handcuffed until Kyle Schwarber makes a decision

Kyle Schwarber and Kyle Tucker are not signing this week, according to MLB Network’s Jon Morosi. That is fine for now, but the Phillies cannot sit here forever waiting for Schwarber to flip a coin and decide whether he is returning.

The entire offseason is stuck in neutral until he does.

If Kyle Schwarber wants more than 4-years, I would let him walk. Simple.

.@jonmorosi says he expects Kyle Schwarber to sign before Kyle Tucker:

“Neither one of them will sign this week… [I] feel like we're heading towards a Winter Meetings signing extravaganza.”

We are less than a week away from the 2025 Winter Meetings 👀 pic.twitter.com/wdoL8cxNMx

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) December 1, 2025

Morosi also said he feels like we are heading toward a “Winter Meetings signing extravaganza.” That is lovely, but Philadelphia’s offseason currently has one assignment: keep the band together by re-signing Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto.

Phillies continue to remain silent as NL East rivals start making moves

The Kyle Schwarber negotiation is not surprising.

When you finish second in MVP voting behind Shohei Ohtani and spend six months vaporizing baseballs, your agents walk into the room asking for a king’s ransom. That is their job. It also creates a miserable, slow-moving negotiation that tests everyone’s patience.

This whole thing looks almost identical to J.T. Realmuto’s first trip through free agency. His camp wanted more than two hundred million. The Phillies rolled their eyes. Fans rolled their eyes. Everyone assumed he was gone until he signed for 5 years and $115 million in late January.

Same script, but it feels different with Schwarber. Philadelphia does not have the luxury of sitting on its hands until February while the rest of the league reshapes itself.

Right now the Phillies are basically waiting to see what Schwarber decides before doing anything else. That is a dangerous game. If this drags deep into winter, the entire market will move around them while they stand perfectly still.

The Pirates are not winning a bidding war. The Reds are a cute rumor because Schwarber grew up a Reds fan, but Cincinnati is not offering anything that will scare John Middleton.

If the Phillies truly want Kyle Schwarber back, they will outlast the noise and get a deal done. The real tension point comes afterward.

If they re-sign both Schwarber and Realmuto, the big fantasy targets like Kyle Tucker, Bo Bichette, or Pete Alonso become almost impossible without moving real payroll.

The Phillies will always be labeled as “potential suitors” because writers love using their name for engagement, but there is a massive difference between being mentioned and being in.

This is why I am leaning harder than ever into saying screw it, burn the blueprint, and go all-in on the NPB market for 2026. The top three names on that board would instantly reshape this roster.

It’s time for the Phillies to go all-in on the NPB market to rebuild the 2026 roster

The Winter Meetings begin in a week in Orlando. Philadelphia cannot afford another offseason where the rest of the division takes big swings and they stand there in the corner waiting for Kyle Schwarber to make up his mind.

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