Phillies Retaining Kyle Schwarber Remains 'Priority' Despite Rejection
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The Philadelphia Phillies extended a Major League Baseball leading eight-game win streak on Saturday with an extra-innings win against the Athletics.
The team has now matched its longest win streak since manager Rob Thomson took over and it can thank Kyle Schwarber's heroics as he enjoys a stellar season so far. The slugger drove in two key runs in the top of the 11th innings, bringing his RBI total to 40 to go along with 18 homers so far.
But as Schwarber continues his hot hitting, the Phillies have faced a major decision. He has the chance to become a free agent at the end of this year if the team does not extend him first and negotiations hit a snag when Schwarber rejected the team's initial offer.
"The Phillies offered him an extension during the offseason, but after an initial proposal, talks failed to advance," Ken Rosenthal reported for The Athletic. "And while he wants to stay in Philadelphia, he's also content playing out his free-agent year."
After that rejection, the Phillies have had to decide how aggressively to pursue Schwarber. And now general manager Preston Mattingly told Sports Radio 94 WIP that they have decided to go full force.
"Kyle is a priority for us," Mattingly said. "He's a guy that we're very thrilled with, and a guy that, obviously, we'd love to be a part of the Phillies going forward."
As Schwarber enjoys a career-best season at age 32, he is slugging himself into a four- or five-year contract worth at least $100 million. If he hits free agency, any number of contending teams could be lining up to sign him. But if the Phillies do make him a priority, they stand a good chance of locking him in before that ever happens.
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