What I’m hearing about the Reds’ interest in Kyle Schwarber and other MLB offseason notes

The Cincinnati Reds are seriously considering signing free agent designated hitter Kyle Schwarber. Whether they can actually cause such an upheaval is another matter entirely.

Schwarber is originally from Middletown, Ohio, about 35 miles north of Cincinnati. He is interested in a possible return to the country, according to sources informed of his thoughts. The Reds offered him the chance to transform their young team and play for one of the most respected managers in football, Terry Francona.

The problem for Cincinnati is that the Philadelphia Phillies will almost certainly offer Schwarber more money.

Athletics Tim Britton projects Schwarber to receive a five-year, $145 million contract. Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall said the team’s payroll would remain about the same as in 2025. According to Fangraphs estimates, that would leave the Reds with about $20 million to spend.

Schwarber, who is coming off a career-high 56 home runs, will cost significantly more each year. And the Reds should further strengthen their bullpen. They could trade utilityman Gavin Lux, who is expected to earn $5 million in arbitration, and perhaps another player in a similar salary range. But unless they make an exception for Schwarber, it’s hard to see how they could make the finances work.

Schwarber, who turns 33 on March 5, is likely looking for his last big contract. He’s unlikely to give the Reds a big discount in his hometown, if at all. Depending on how free agency works, big-market teams such as the New York Mets and Boston Red Sox could also enter the mix.

So what would be the appeal of the Reds? Well, they went from 77 to 83 wins last season, their first under Francona. With the exception of Brady Singer, everyone in their talented rotation is under club control beyond this season. And most of their top players, including shortstop Elly De La Cruz, right fielder Noelvi Marte, cornerback Sal Stewart and first baseman/flyer Spencer Steer, are under control through at least 2028.

Stick Schwarber in this lineup as the designated hitter, and the whole group could take off. Over the past four seasons, only Aaron Judge has hit more home runs than Schwarber. Judge is at 210, while Schwarber is tied with Shohei Ohtani at 187.

For the Reds, this is all rather enticing. Schwarber, as much as he enjoys playing for the Phillies, is probably also intrigued. But in the realm of free agency, sentiment rarely wins. Money matters most, and it’s hard to predict the Reds will bring in enough of it.

Brewers mull opening door to Freddy Peralta

Perhaps it was inevitable, but interest in right-hander Freddy Peralta is so high that the Milwaukee Brewers are now considering “opening the door” to trade discussions, according to a person briefed on their situation.

Owner Mark Attanasio and general manager Matt Arnold said they are excited about their rotation after right-hander Brandon Woodruff accepted the team’s $22.025 million qualifying offer. But if the Brewers get a strong enough offer for Peralta, they believe Woodruff’s veteran presence and their many other rotation options could still leave them in position to compete in the NL Central.

The Brewers would undoubtedly set the bar high for Peralta, ideally landing a major league-ready starting pitcher as part of the return. It is possible that neither team will reach its price. But right-hander Dylan Cease had a seven-year, $210 million free agent contract, reduced to $184.6 million in current value by deferrals, according to the Players Association. Peralta is the same age as Cease, 29, and is only expected to make $8 million in his final season before free agency. Its commercial value would be considerable.

Without Peralta, the Brewers rotation would be led by Woodruff, Jacob Misiorowski and Quinn Priester. Their other candidates would include Robert Gasser, Chad Patrick, Logan Henderson and Tobias Myers; two relievers who could start, Aaron Ashby and DL Hall; and perhaps a pitcher that they would acquire in Peralta’s trade.

The Brewers are obviously better with Peralta than without him. Their best move might be to keep him, try to build on their 97-win campaign, and then make him a qualifying offer, guaranteeing draft compensation. The $8 million they would save by trading him might not be particularly significant. The biggest impact, potentially, would be that of return.

Another option for the Brewers, as previously noted, is to create payroll flexibility by signing Woodruff to a multi-year extension at a lower average annual value, or negotiating for him to a new one-year deal that includes deferred money. There have been no substantive discussions about either possibility, a league source said.

Cody Bellinger’s defensive excellence

Cody Bellinger is not as accomplished a hitter as fellow outfielder Kyle Tucker, but he is considered a better defensive outfielder. Part of that could be due to Tucker’s leg issues over the past two seasons. But with Bellinger, it’s not just his abilities that stand out. His versatility makes him one of the most unique defenders in major league history.

Think about last season. Bellinger started 38 games at center, 48 at right and 59 at left. He is the only player in the modern era, dating back to 1901, to start that many games at each of these positions in a single season, according to STATS Perform. He also made three starts at first base.

Even with all his twists and turns, Bellinger had his best defensive season in 2025, according to Fangraphs. He also scored very well in Statcast’s reach, value and arm strength measurements.

One aspect that Bellinger improved with the New York Yankees was his quickness attack. Yankees third base coach and outfield instructor Luis Rojas said Bellinger worked hard to establish his pre-pitch rhythm early in spring training. He also became more consistent with his range and paid close attention to his measurements and catch probabilities.

But, as Rojas noted, “this guy was a great defender before he joined us.”

How the Rockies handled the transition

The Colorado Rockies spent more than a month in turmoil between the resignation of general manager Bill Schmidt on October 1 and the hiring of Paul DePodesta as their new head of baseball operations on November 7. Meanwhile, department heads ran the team by committee and informed manager Warren Schaeffer and all of his coaches, except pitching coach Darryl Scott, that they were welcome to remain with the organization. They simply couldn’t guarantee what roles each would play.

“Our thinking was we’re not going to make any commitments until we hire that (head) person. And ultimately that person has to decide how we move forward,” Rockies executive vice president Walker Monfort said. “But what we didn’t want was to lose high-caliber people who we hold in high regard.”

Aside from Scott, who was not re-signed, the only staff member to leave was bullpen coach Dustin Garneau, who became the catching coach for the Atlanta Braves. The Rockies received a request from another club to interview Schaeffer for a coaching position, Monfort said. But Schaeffer stayed, and the team announced on November 24 that he would remain as manager.

The Rockies are still working on the remaining coaching roles and plan to make some external hires as well. DePodesta also intends to name a general manager, ideally before next week’s winter meetings, and expand the team’s infrastructure.

“We know we have to increase our non-salary spending in baseball. Naturally, we will have to hire incrementally in certain areas,” Monfort said. “But we don’t have a definitive number – oh, it’s five or oh, it’s 10. We’re kind of going through the order of operations. The next step is the general manager. From there we move on.”

Bo knows

Some numbers to demonstrate the offensive prowess of free agent Bo Bichette:

*Against pitches over 97 mph last season, Bichette hit .448 with a weighted on-base average (wOBA) of .516. The league averages were .229 and .295.

Among free agents, Kyle Tucker had a .219/.333 mark; Alex Bregman .171/.268; Kyle Schwarber .233/.414; Pete Alonso .293/.330; Cody Bellinger .229/.299.

*Bichette also hits all kinds of pitches.

His career hitting grades are .460 against righties, .506 against lefties, .470 against fastballs/sinks, .455 against breaking pitches and .562 against offspeeds.

*The value of roster protection is often debated, but Vladimir Guerrero Jr. certainly performed better last season with Bichette behind him.

Not only did Guerrero see a higher percentage of pitches in the zone when Bichette was the next batter, but he also hit .342 with a 1.016 OPS in those situations, .274 with a .787 OPS ahead of everyone else.

The guy can hit.