Elly De La Cruz was working out at the Reds’ facility when he saw Kyle Schwarber on his free agent visit.
The two hard a short conversation and Elly De La Cruz thought Schwarber would become a Red.
Jeff Passan of ESPN reported that Cincinnati offered a five-year, $125 million deal, but wasn’t willing to go as high as some of the other teams involved. However, Bob Nightengale of USA Today said the Reds were in fact willing to match the five-year, $150 million offers from both Baltimore and Philadelphia.
“I was impressed,” Schwarber told MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon. “Me and [my wife] Paige went down to Cincinnati, and we were able to sit down and have that conversation with them and hear them out. I would say that they were not pulling chains, and that they were wanting to try to get me to Cincinnati. There are things that you have to cover your bases and every aspect of it. We had those conversations, and I appreciate every conversation I had with every team.”
Like De La Cruz. Schwarber’s teammate Bryce Harper also thought he was going to be a Red.
“I thought Kyle was going to go to Cincinnati to tell you the truth,” Harper said. “I thought it was a done deal going to Cincinnati just because being at home and things like that. Obviously I didn’t know. We kind of messed with him the whole time about him going back home and playing in front of his fan base.”
The Reds didn’t get Schwarber, but they signed the next big power bat available in Eugenuo Suarez to a one-year, $15 million deal. Suarez’s deal. If Suarez hits anywhere near the 49 home runs he hit last year, the deal could be a huge discount.
You can read The Enquirer’s full story here.
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