MLB insider sees Red Sox as favorites to sign Kyle Schwarber along with one other team
"They loved him, and he fit there."
The Red Sox love Kyle Schwarber and have made it clear they would like the slugger to remain in Boston.
Per Jon Heyman of the MLB Network, the Red Sox are indeed a team to watch in pursuit of Schwarber.
“I think the Red Sox are a favorite here to bring him back,” Heyman said on MLB Hot Stove on Monday. “They loved him, and he fit there.”
Another team to keep an eye on, per Heyman? The Phillies.
“They want a middle of the order bat, he could play left field, they have an opening there,” Heyman said.
The Phillies also employ Kevin Long, formerly the hitting coach for the Nationals. As Heyman noted, Schwarber’s OPS swelled over .900 while playing with the Nationals aided by Long.
Schwarber mentioned how much he enjoyed playing for the Red Sox after the season wrapped up.
“I wish I could tell everyone I’m going to [return],” Schwarber said. “I just want to say thank you to the whole group. Being the new guy coming in, it’s not easy, right? The thing is I never played with any one of these guys before. No previous experience. These guys made it so easy on me just to be able to come in.”
The Red Sox reciprocated the love after — and during — the season.
“We were very aggressive the whole season,” Alex Cora told the New York Times in October. “We were expanding. We didn’t walk too much, and when he got here and he started playing, it was different. It’s a different at-bat and other guys have followed his lead. And right now, this is the best I’ve seen this team this season, offensively.”