The Philadelphia Phillies are trying to re-sign designated hitter Kyle Schwarber this offseason, but it's proving to be a difficult process.
With plenty of teams interested in Schwarber, the Phillies have to contend with a busy market in retaining the fan favorite slugger.
But, amid the constant rumors and updates, one from ESPN's Buster Olney would be the worst possible outcome for the Phillies with Schwarber this winter, as the rival New York Mets could make the offseason a disaster for the Phillies.
Kyle Schwarber's free agent rumor would be disaster for Phillies
"The juiciest rumor I heard this week was the notion that the Mets could push the Phillies for Schwarber," Olney reports, "and there are a lot of reasons this could make sense."
With the Mets potentially losing Pete Alonso in free agency, signing Schwarber to be the team's new premier power-hitter could be a great way for the Mets to replace a long-time fan favorite of their own.
Such a scenario would be a brutal outcome for the Phillies, as not only would they no longer have Schwarber, but he would be on a division rival.
More: Phillies interested in Kyle Schwarber replacement not named Kyle Tucker
While the Phillies could repay the Mets by signing Alonso to a free agent deal, losing Schwarber would not only be a big blow to the offense but to the morale of the team going forward.
If he does depart, the Phillies have been linked to Kyle Tucker, Cody Bellinger, Munetaka Murakami, and many others as potential replacements.
While a player like Bellinger or Tucker might hold more value than Schwarber, losing the fan favorite designated hitter, to a division rival at that, would be a brutal outcome for the Phillies.
This rumor from Olney would be the worst-case scenario for the Phillies this winter, and hopefully, for the Phillies, it is not what comes to pass.
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