The Philadelphia Phillies have doled out their fair share of big contracts. They currently hold six contracts worth at least $100 million, with two of them in the $300 million range. The Phillies haven't been shy at all when it comes to paying their players, and as a result, they have kept their championship window open.
With some of those contracts coming to an end, the Phillies have another opportunity to sign some of their future pieces to long-term deals to extend that window even further. One player who could have his number called is left-hander Jesús Luzardo.
Luzardo is set to become a free agent after the 2026 season. According to MLB Trade Rumors projections, he's expected to earn around $10.4 million in his final year of arbitration. Luzardo would be valuable to the Phillies' future rotation if they don't want him to walk next offseason.
The pitching staff has molded the Phillies' championship aspirations, and Luzardo is now an obvious part of that makeup. Phillies fans want to see him stay (subscription required), according to The Athletic's recent survey. The organization should listen.
Phillies should try to sign Jesús Luzardo to long-term contract extension this winter
Fans are overwhelmingly on board for a Luzardo extension, with 91 percent of respondents to The Athletic's survey voting in favor of the Phillies getting a deal done. As Charlotte Varnes notes, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has expressed interest in this idea. It's hard to argue with the fans, especially with the kind of season Luzardo had.
It's uncertain how much a player of Luzardo's caliber will cost them, but that number can always fluctuate during negotiations. Whatever the amount is, Phillies fans just want him in red pinstripes.
Jesús Luzardo gets Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Teoscar Hernández to force an 11th inning at Dodger Stadium 🔥 pic.twitter.com/k1XfHJmwAm
— MLB (@MLB) October 10, 2025
The 28-year-old was traded from the Miami Marlins to the Phillies last December. He brought a certain level of expectation while also slotting into one of the best starting rotations.
Luzardo stumbled in the middle of the season with pitch-tipping issues but finished strong in his final 19 starts. He pitched to a 3.57 ERA from June 11 on and a 3.92 ERA overall. His 216 strikeouts were the second-most in the NL behind Logan Webb. Pitching a career-high 183 2/3 innings, there was doubt he could even finish as a starter down the stretch. But his tenacity on the mound in October showed every bit of fight the Phillies hoped they would get.
Extensions are easy to do for most clubs if it's just about the money, but it always takes two sides to come together for a deal. Luzardo's stock ended up rising, and him coming here via trade doesn't make his return automatic.
Phillies fans will have to wait and see, but they've made their thoughts known. They want Luzardo back behind Zack Wheeler and Cristopher Sánchez, and who can argue that it wouldn't be the best-case scenario for everyone involved?