Phillies extending Jesús Luzardo on five-year, $135M contract: Can NL East contenders keep the window open?
The extension runs from 2027-31
One of the top pitchers of next offseason's free-agent class is off the market. The Philadelphia Phillies and left-hander Jesús Luzardo have agreed to a five-year contract extension worth $135 million, CBS Sports HQ's Jim Bowden has confirmed. The deal covers 2027-31. The team has not yet announced the move.
The $135 million contract is right in line with the five-year, $130 million deal former Phillies lefty Ranger Suárez signed with the Boston Red Sox this past offseason. Suárez has been more consistently excellent than Luzardo, though he's also two years older and has a lower velocity pitch-to-contract approach that makes some front offices nervous.
Luzardo, 28, joined the Phillies in a four-player trade with the Miami Marlins last offseason and had a terrific first season in Philadelphia. He set new career highs in innings, strikeouts, and WAR, and finished seventh in the National League Cy Young voting. Luzardo also had a 2.35 ERA in 7 ⅔ innings spanning two postseason appearances.
Last month, we ranked Luzardo eighth on our super early list of the top 2026-27 free agents, though with good health and a repeat of (or improvement upon) his 2025 effort, he would have rocketed up the rankings. Lefties with upper-90s gas always get paid, but Luzardo has a lengthy arm injury history. Passing up $135 million would have been risky.
Here are the largest average annual salaries for a left-handed pitcher:
- Framber Valdez, Tigers: $38.3 million
- Blake Snell, Dodgers: $36.4 million
- Tarik Skubal, Tigers: $32 million
- Garrett Crochet, Red Sox: $28.3 million
- Max Fried, Yankees: $27.25 million
- Jesús Luzardo, Phillies: $27 million
The extension allows the Phillies to pair Luzardo with Cristopher Sánchez atop the rotation through at least 2028, and potentially through 2030 if they pick up the two club options in Sanchez's contract. With Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler aging out as elite starters, retaining Luzardo was an important piece of business. Getting it done before free agency is good work by the Phillies.
A year ago, Philadelphia had the second-oldest group of position players and the sixth-oldest group of pitchers. They will be an old team again in 2026 as centerpieces Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto, Kyle Schwarber, and Trea Turner get into their mid-30s. All but Realmuto are signed long-term at significant dollars. The Phillies will go as far as they take them.
That said, there is youth on the horizon. Center fielder Justin Crawford is poised to take over center field and right-hander Andrew Painter is penciled into the No. 5 starter's spot. Neither is the team's top prospect either. That honor goes to infielder Aidan Miller, who could take over the third base job before the end of the season. The Phillies have some exciting young talent coming.
Luzardo and the Phillies avoided arbitration with an $11 million contract for 2026 back in January. Add it all up and he is signed for another six years and $146 million.
Philadelphia went 96-66 and won its second straight NL East title last year. They were eliminated by the eventual World Series champion Dodgers in the NLDS.
