Kyle Schwarber is back where he belongs.

The outstanding slugger signed a five-year, $150M deal to remain with the Phillies for what will end up as a nine-year run in red pinstripes. The deal is fair. The player is worth it. I believe he’ll age well.

But when looking inside the details of the contract that a question emerges about the Phillies’ spending.

Let’s take a look, and unpack what it might mean.

According to Jon Heyman, Schwarber will only make $15M in the first year of his contract.

That, on the surface, is intriguing. It potentially gives the Phillies more money to spend on players for the 2026 club. Considering J.T. Realmuto is still in free agency, the likelihood of having to eat money on Nick Castellanos’ deal and holes in the outfield, every dollar matters.

But this is important to remember: The luxury tax is calculated using average annual contract value. So for the 2026 Phillies luxury tax, Schwarber counts as a $30M player.

Perhaps the Phillies will spend more. Maybe it makes them more likely to eat money to move off Castellanos. Maybe the Phillies have cash flow issues. Maybe it’s a smart play and hedge on the 2027 season being cancelled due to a work stoppage. Who knows.

It’s intriguing. It’s interesting. But unless a few other dominos fall, I don’t think it makes a pursuit of, say, Kyle Tucker or Alex Bregman any more likely.

We had Jason Avant on for a full hour to talk about the Eagles offense, Jalen Hurts, and where the team goes from here.

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