Listing the 25 most overpaid MLB players in 2023, from future Hall of Famers to surprise names
By Bill Felber
5. Kyle Schwarber, left fielder, Philadelphia Phillies
At $20 million, Schwarber is the third best paid left fielder in baseball. Only Christian Yelich ($24.25 million) and Juan Soto ($23 million) pull down more for their 2023 play. That means expectations are high, especially in an offensive-oriented position, which left field decidedly is.
He’s in the second season of a three-year, $60 million contract, and the Phillies had nothing to complain about with respect to year one. Schwarber’s .218 average looked bad, but nobody hires Schwarber for average. He’s a power guy and he produced a league-leading 46 home runs in helping the Phillies reach the World Series.
The 2023 version of Schwarber has produced 26 home runs, so he’s off his 2022 pace but not horribly. But his slugging average is down from .504 to an unacceptable .424, and his .182 batting average has dropped into the realm where even committed power bats raise alarm.
In concert with his obvious defensive shortcomings, they reduce Schwarber’s 2023 WAR to -1.2, which matches the worst WAR of any of the 41 qualified left fielders. When you are both the third highest-paid and least productive player at your position, that is a problem.
In Schwarber’s case, that problem works out to being overpaid by $31.055 million.