The Philadelphia Phillies made a few moves at the MLB Winter Meetings, but by far their best move was re-signing Kyle Schwarber to a five-year, $150 million contract.
With interest from the Baltimore Orioles, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Cincinnati Reds, the Phillies were able to bring Schwarber back without too much concern.
ESPN insider Jesse Rogers dubbed the Phillies the biggest winners of the Winter Meetings, and it's solely due to Schwarber. But, there's more to the Phillies being winners than simply retaining Schwarber.
Phillies dubbed winners of MLB Winter Meetings thanks to Kyle Schwarber
"The Phillies were the biggest winner. Where would they be without Schwarber?" Rogers writes. "... Now, they can keep moving forward on other important decisions, such as what to do at catcher and if Nick Castellanos still fits their roster."
Keeping Schwarber on the roster allows the Phillies to focus on the roster of the lineup and the bullpen without having to worry about adding a key member of the lineup.
Losing Schwarber would've had the Phillies in dire need of slugging and would've had the Phillies investing in the free agent markets of Cody Bellinger and Kyle Tucker, markets that could drag out for some time.
Instead, the Phillies signed the most important player to a long-term deal, avoiding a headache-inducing scenario where they have to scramble for a replacement.
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Rogers has the Phillies as winners on the Schwarber deal alone, and while it's a reasonable note, the Phillies made two other moves worth mentioning.
They traded for Yoniel Curet from the Tampa Bay Rays, the Rays' 22nd-ranked prospect, who struggled with control in 2025. They also selected Zach McCambley in the Rule 5 Draft, who was viewed as an intriguing righty bullpen arm.
Those are quality additions, and alongside Schwarber's return, only add to the Phillies' status as winners from the MLB Winter Meetings.
And for Phillies fans, seeing the New York Mets lose Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz in free agency, and missing out on a few other top targets like Schwarber, the MLB Winter Meetings were a great time to be a Phillies fan.
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