(670 The Score) As MLB free agency moves slowly, outfielder Kyle Schwarber plans to keep all of his options open. That includes the longshot of a potential reunion with the Cubs, who non-tendered him in early December, but Schwarber on Thursday also expressed his readiness for his next chapter while reflecting on his exit from Chicago.
“I guess it’s a part of the business side of the game,” Schwarber told the Athletic while volunteering at a Players’ Alliance event in Cincinnati as he’s back home in Ohio. “Being someone who put their heart and soul into it, doing what I was doing for the team, the organization and the city, obviously it stunk at the time, but I’m just ready for a new opportunity.”
Schwarber, 27, struggled in the shortened 2020 season, hitting .188 with 11 homers, 24 RBIs and a .701 OPS in 59 games. He had a strong 2019 campaign, hitting .250 with 38 homers, 92 RBIs and an .871 OPS.
Schwarber was expected to earn $8 million to $9 million in the arbitration process, a figure the Cubs didn’t find to their liking in choosing to part ways with him. The Angels, Yankees and Blue Jays are three teams that shown interest in Schwarber, sources told 670 reporter Bruce Levine recently.
As he did when he posted a note on social media after being let go by the Cubs, Schwarber again expressed his thanks for the organization and the city.
“It’s the team that drafted me and I grew up with,” Schwarber said. “I won a World Series. I love those guys. It’s Chicago. You love that. You just want to keep all doors open.”