Kyle Schwarber $150 million contract has Phillies as winners of MLB Winter Meetings originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Philadelphia Phillies have Kyle Schwarber signed for the next five years and on Wednesday he revealed why he came back.

The news that broke on Tuesday that Kyle Schwarber has agreed to return to Philadelphia for the next five years was met with the appropriate levels of exuberance, cautious optimism and casual pessimism.

The Phillies already had $237.7 million in salary commitments on their books for 2026. Assuming this is a straight deal with no deferrals, Schwarber's $30 million average annual salary will raise their payroll to $267.7 million next season.

One such item would be where to bat Schwarber in the lineup in relation to Bryce Harper. Much has been made this offseason about Harper seeing the least amount of pitches in the zone of any qualified hitter in MLB.

Williams: The Cincinnati Reds legitimately tried to land Kyle Schwarber. Despite failing, it's a positive sign they're serious about winning.

On Wednesday, The Athletic named Cincinnati a potential suitor for both Brandon Lowe and Ketel Marte.