2 players the Phillies need to extend immediately this offseason, 1 they should avoid

With the MLB season officially done for the Philadelphia Phillies this year, it's time to start looking ahead to the 2026 season for some hope and optimism. The Phillies will need to determine which players should remain part of the core group going forward and which others they will need to move on from for the better of the team.

As a result, with many contracts for the Phillies to deal with this coming offseason, let’s take a look at two players who Philadelphia should extend immediately to retain their services and one player they should not offer an extension.

2 players the Phillies need to extend immediately this offseason, 1 they should avoid

Phillies should extend Jesús Luzardo 

As one of the key moves last offseason, the acquisition of starter Jesús Luzardo ended up paying huge dividends this season. For a rotation that was already among the best in the league, the addition of Luzardo further fortified the Phillies’ starting five to the top of the pack.

The 28-year-old left-hander posted a 15-7 record with a 3.92 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and a whopping 216 strikeouts in just 183 2/3 innings over 32 starts. His wins, innings pitched and strikeouts were all personal bests.

With Aaron Nola enduring some massive struggles, along with the loss of ace Zack Wheeler in August with thoracic outlet syndrome, Luzardo became that much more important in stabilizing the rotation with Cristopher Sánchez and Ranger Suárez. It kept Philadelphia a strong contender all season, ultimately enabling them to repeat as National League East champions.

Despite being hung with two unfortunate losses during the postseason, Luzardo was one of their top playoff pitching performers by compiling a 2.35 ERA and 0.78 WHIP with eight strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings over two appearances.

With Suárez likely heading to free agency this offseason, it makes it that much more vital for the Phillies to secure Luzardo’s services. They should eat up his remaining year of arbitration and lock him up as soon as possible with an extension.

Phillies should extend Jhoan Duran

You can have an infallible starting rotation, but all could be for naught if you don’t have an elite closer to complement it to close out games. The Phillies had experimented with the likes of David Robertson, Craig Kimbrel, José Alvarado, Carlos Estévez, Jordan Romano and Matt Strahm in recent years. But none can provide the consistency and dominance that Jhoan Duran has shown with the Phillies since his acquisition at the 2025 trade deadline. 

In 23 relief appearances during the regular season, Duran nailed down 16 key saves down the stretch while compiling a stellar 2.18 ERA and 0.92 WHIP with just one walk and 27 strikeouts in 20 2/3 innings. He was also flawless during the postseason, yielding zero runs with seven strikeouts in just 3 2/3 innings of work in three playoff games.

Duran’s only blemish was allowing an inherited runner to score the game-tying run on a walk in Game 4 of the NLDS against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Unfortunately, it ultimately led to the Dodgers' 2-1 come-from-behind win that eliminated the Phillies from the postseason.

At just the young age of 27 and with plenty of prime years ahead of him, added to the fact that Duran could be the Phillies’ best closer since the controversial Jonathan Papelbon, Philadelphia should do all they can to lock him in long term with an extension. He has two more years of affordable arbitration, but an extension would be worth it to secure the top-end closer past the 2027 season.

Phillies should avoid Alec Bohm

Prior to 2025, Alec Bohm had been front and center as one of the Phillies' most solid run producers for the past few seasons. He put up back-to-back 15-plus home runs and 97-RBI seasons in 2023 and 2024. He took on an even more prominent role by batting cleanup for the Phillies for much of the 2024 campaign.

A dismal showing by the 29-year-old third baseman during their postseason run last year left a lot to be desired and inadvertently made his future with the team a little murky. Despite an offseason full of swirling rumors, the Phillies ended up bringing back Bohm for another season.

However, he put up a disappointing 2025 campaign to say the least. In 120 games, Bohm batted .287 with a .741 OPS, 53 runs scored, 18 doubles, 11 home runs and 59 RBIs. Those numbers were his lowest totals since his sophomore season in 2021.

With the Phillies’ early postseason exit again this year due to an inept offense, they will be looking for a true difference-maker to add to their lineup for 2026.

With star third baseman Alex Bregman recently opting out of his contract with the Boston Red Sox, one of the Phillies' prime free agent targets from last offseason has surprisingly become available again. As a former Gold Glove, Silver Slugger and World Series winner, Bregman would be the perfect elite addition to the lineup.

Even if the Phillies don't replace Bohm with Bregman, there's no need for an extension. With one final year of arbitration, the team will be free to move on from Bohm after 2026 if they keep him around for one more season.