The Cincinnati Reds will have to open their wallets if they want Kyle Schwarber.
Schwarber is coming off a 56-homer season for the Philadelphia Phillies before entering free agency. In four seasons with the Phillies, the lefty slugged 187 home runs.
The Reds have something in their favor, as has been said over and over: Schwarber is from Middletown, Ohio. That's less than an hour from Cincinnati.
But it's unlikely Schwarber will take a hometown discount. He could come to town if the offer is right.
The Reds will have to pay the big bucks. The Athletic's Jim Bowden projects the Reds can land Schwarber if they give him a five-year deal for $160 million.
"Signing Schwarber, who grew up in Middleton, Ohio, would shock baseball and be a game-changer for the Reds’ offense and their clubhouse," Bowden writes. "I think he probably returns to the Phillies, but I can wish this for Reds fans, can’t I?"
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It's a move the Reds could definitely use. They lacked thump in their lineup a season ago.
Pitching was the main reason the Reds got into the playoffs with a late run to be the NL's third and final wild card team.
If the bats can match the pitching, maybe the Reds can try and make noise in the NL Central Division, too.
There's no one out there who would excite the Reds' fanbase as much as Schwarber. They'll just have to pay up.
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