Cubs rivals are now battling each other for Kyle Schwarber at Winter Meetings

There's been a longstanding expectation that Kyle Schwarber's free agency would lead to a reunion with the Philadelphia Phillies, and while the Phillies remain the favorites to sign Schwarber, a pair of Chicago Cubs' rivals have dominated his sweepstakes early on.

The Cincinnati Reds have spent the last few weeks making no secret about their pursuit of Schwarber, but the Pittsburgh Pirates may be taking their efforts a step further. The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal (subscription required) confirms that not only are the Pirates interested, but they have a four-year offer on the table worth at least $100 million.

Rosenthal also added that Schwarber is expected to make his decision within the next two weeks, and that the interest from the Reds and Pirates might push Philadelphia to add a fifth year to their offer for the prolific slugger.

Kyle Schwarber will be the talk of the Winter Meetings, and two Chicago Cubs' rivals are expressing interest.

It would be one thing for the Reds to sign Schwarber while the Cubs register no interest in their former first-round pick, but Pittsburgh signing him would add a new level of hilarity.

If nothing else, the Pirates appear to be aiming for a title that Cubs fans know all too well: we tried. It was originally reported last month that the Pirates made an offer to Josh Naylor before he re-signed with the Seattle Mariners. However, further reporting indicated that such an offer was never actually made.

With the Pirates being among the teams the MLBPA could list in a potential grievance filing, it would seem that they are using this offseason to avoid such a measure. However, if it's discovered that an offer to Schwarber was never actually made, that may not help their cause.

It would seem that the Pirates and Reds are doing the bidding of the Phillies. While the Phillies have been connected to Cody Bellinger as a potential fallback option if they don't sign Schwarber, they likely will match whatever the top offer is for the 32-year-old designated hitter.

As for the Cubs, while this current version of Schwarber is a perfect fit for what their starting lineup needs, they appear more inclined to find an upgrade at third base. Pitching is the focus for the Cubs, but in terms of an impact bat, it seems that they prefer Alex Bregman.