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Milwaukee Brewers Post Lockout Free Agent Target: Kyle Schwarber

By Paul Bretl

Oct 5, 2021; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox designated hitter Kyle Schwarber (18) reacts after hitting a solo home run against the New York Yankees during the third inning of the American League Wildcard game at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 5, 2021; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox designated hitter Kyle Schwarber (18) reacts after hitting a solo home run against the New York Yankees during the third inning of the American League Wildcard game at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports /
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At some point, the MLB lockout is going to come to an end — right? — and the Milwaukee Brewers will go back to constructing their roster for the 2022 season. There are still many free agents available, given that there was very little time for them to sign anywhere before the lockout began, including several high-profile options.

One name that should be on the Milwaukee Brewers radar is Kyle Schwarber, who is coming off an impressive 2021 season.

Obviously, things can change, but in an October report from Robert Murray of Fansided, he mentioned that the Brewers “liked” Schwarber during the 2021 offseason. With the DH expected to come to the NL and the Milwaukee offense in desperate need of some firepower, this is a move that makes even more sense now.

Schwarber spent the first six years of his big league career with the Chicago Cubs and was a member of their World Series team. During that span, he slashed .230/.336/.480 with an OPS+ of 113 and 121 home runs. His best individual season with Chicago came in 2019 when he hit .250 at the plate with 38 home runs and recorded an OPS of .871.

Schwarber would then sign with Washington as a free agent in 2021, where he spent half the season before being traded to Boston. The left-handed hitting Schwarber would put together his best offensive season to date, batting .266 with 25 home runs along with an OPS of .928 and an OPS+ of 148–the league average is 100.

Despite the Milwaukee Brewers’ success last season in the win/loss column, this is a team that struggled mightily on offense, as I’m sure you all remember, ranking in the bottom third of baseball in many key statistical categories. Adding Schwarber’s bat to the lineup would hopefully help remedy that.

There is the obvious role of taking over as the DH, but Milwaukee could also bolster their outfield depth with Avisail Garcia signing with Miami–not to mention that on offense, Schwarber would help replace the 29 home runs that Garcia hit last season.

However, Schwarber has never been a great defender by Baseball Savant’s Outs Above Average (OAA) metric, routinely ranking well below average throughout his career. On top of that, Schwarber has primarily played left field, and with the Brewers, that position, of course, belongs to Christian Yelich.

Schwarber would also dabble at first base last season, something that we’ve seen the Brewers experiment with a number of other players, but again, Schwarber would struggle defensively by OAA. DH is going to make the most sense for Schwarber in Milwaukee, but he would also provide them with additional options at first base or in the corner outfield as well.

Given the season he just had, if the Milwaukee Brewers want to sign Schwarber, they are going to have to be willing to open their checkbook to do so, as I imagine his market will be quite strong. Over at Spotrac, Schwarber is projected to sign a three-year deal worth $38.77 million, with an average annual value of $12.9 million.

With all of that said, before any of these conversations can become real, the MLB and MLBPA need to figure things out. But once that time comes — it will happen, right? — Kyle Schwarber, who has been on the Milwaukee Brewers’ radar in the past, should be on it once again, especially with the DH coming to the National League.

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