The Philadelphia Phillies truly lucked out with how well starting pitcher Jesús Luzardo's first season went. After finishing seventh in Cy Young voting, many, including the front office, seem to believe he has "the stuff" to be a true stud in the making.
With the Phillies and Luzardo avoiding salary arbitration, he's set with his one-year, $11 million deal to present his best case before heading to free agency. In light of hitting the free agent market after the 2026 season, Luzardo, in true Philly fashion, is putting his and the Phillies' season ahead of playing on the world stage.
The left-hander reportedly turned down not one, but two invitations to the 2026 World Baseball Classic from both Team Venezuela and Team USA.
Jesús Luzardo putting himself, Phillies first by opting out of 2026 World Baseball Classic
In a recent appearance on The Philadelphia Inquirer's Extra Bases podcast, Luzardo told Scott Lauber about his decision to skip the 2026 WBC.
"In terms of pitching for the [WBC] ... I got a call from [Venezuela], all year last year talking to them, I promised that I would go and pitch," Luzardo said. "Did get a call from the US and got an offer to pitch as well. But just this year, I think it's going to be tough for me going into a free agency year. I made the decision that unfortunately I'm not going to be able to pitch in the Classic and want to take my time, take a slow spring training, fully get ready with the team, make sure my body bounced back after a career-high innings.
"Tough decision for me and my family because it's very important for my family for me to represent Venezuela. But just in terms of intelligent decision-making and a hard decision after a long last year and looking forward to a long this year, going into the playoffs hopefully again pitching into maybe November."
Luzardo also spoke about a potential contract extension (subscription required), although he revealed that he hasn't spoken with the Phillies yet. But it's a conversation he would like to have.
“I just got married and hopefully, eventually have a family, and just being stable in a certain place, knowing that you’re comfortable within an organization … it’s something I would be really interested in,” Luzardo went on to say during the discussion.
Luzardo has also publicly said that he'd love to be a Phillie for a long time, as reported by MLB.com's Paul Casella, making his 2026 season crucial for both Luzardo and the Phillies' future.
This salary agreement, which avoids a contract hearing entirely, could begin to build toward a longer contract as early as sometime during the season, echoing a similar track to Cristopher Sánchez, or as late as next winter, depending on how his year goes. If Luzardo pitches anything like he did in 2025, however, the Phillies would be foolish to let such a young talent walk.