ORLANDO, Fla. — Shortly into his pivotal offseason and the free-agent frenzy that came along with it, Kyle Schwarber met with the two highest-ranking members of the Phillies organization. The slugger sat down with president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski once the season ended for the team, and owner John Middleton visited Schwarber’s house in the Philadelphia area.
The Phillies brass made its pitch and walked Schwarber through the plan for the future. Obviously, the club preferred that the veteran hitter remained a crucial part of it. Then the Phillies gave Schwarber some space to go back home to Ohio for the winter and entertain discussions with other teams.