Jesús Luzardo, Phillies reach contract extension at ‘perfect time’ for lefty starter

Jesús Luzardo entered the offseason without a specific preference when it came to his contract status and his future. He knew he had only one more year on his deal, but the left-hander was not adamant about reaching an extension. He wanted to just let whatever happened come to him.

But as his agent and the Phillies front office began negotiating a new deal, Luzardo was “thankful.” It all came together this week, as the pitcher signed a five-year, $135 million contract extension to avoid free agency and keep him with the team until at least 2031. A year after being traded to Philadelphia, Luzardo has found a long-term home.

“I don’t like to play the what ifs,” Luzardo said in a Tuesday news conference. “I think that this came at the perfect time for me. God put me here at the right time, and I’m very thankful for this organization. I love it here, and I’m glad that it worked out this way.”

The Phillies are quite pleased about it, too. Luzardo pitched a career-high 183 2/3 innings in 2025 with a 3.92 ERA in 32 starts. He had some major blowup outings, but he had more stretches of dominance. Already one of the more effective lefty starters in the major leagues, he could have even more room to grow in the future. And that could have made him quite attractive to many clubs in free agency going into the 2027 season.

“We didn’t want to test that out ourselves,” Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said.

Of course, there is no guarantee Luzardo replicates his 2025 production, especially his ability to remain healthy. He has dealt with injury issues in the past and only made 12 starts for the Marlins in 2024. But if he can keep himself on the field and pitch similarly to last year, if not even better, this deal should age well for Philadelphia.

Luzardo’s contract has a club option for 2032. Fellow left-hander Cristopher Sánchez has team options that will likely keep him with the Phillies on his current deal through 2030. Zack Wheeler is signed through next year, and Aaron Nola’s contract ends in 2030. Andrew Painter has six years of team control. The rotation is pretty locked in for a while and has a ton of upside, even if there are some question marks.

The veteran executive Dombrowski likes to build strong starting staffs, and he was sold on Luzardo being an impact contributor for years to come following his Philadelphia debut. In turn, Luzardo was impressed by the city, his teammates and coaching staff and the atmosphere around the club and ballpark. That led the two sides to agree to an extended partnership.

“I think that combination of all those things was just the perfect combination for me and a match made in heaven,” Luzardo said.

That was an important factor. Since being drafted by the Nationals in 2016, Luzardo has been a part of four organizations and pitched for three different big-league teams. In the Phillies and Philadelphia, he’s landed in a place to stay.

“It means a lot to me and my family,” Luzardo said. “Being traded a couple times, just bouncing around, kind of the uncertainty of a lot of things throughout my career, I’m just thankful to have a place where I hopefully can create some stability, hopefully create a family and have a place where we can call home that we love and enjoy.”