Phillies lock in another key rotation piece in Jesus Luzardo

The Philadelphia Phillies lost one potential building block to their rotation when Ranger Suarez departed via free agency. They have made certain that will not happen again during the 2026-27 offseason.

ESPN's Jeff Passan reported that the Phillies have agreed to a five-year, $135M extension with Jesus Luzardo. He had been set to enter free agency after this season.

Luzardo had been one of the top pitching prospects in baseball ahead of the 2019 and 2020 seasons. He had begun to establish himself as one of the better starters in the game between 2022 and 2023, posting a 3.48 ERA and 1.151 WHiP over his 279 innings, striking out 328 batters with only 90 walks.

Jesus Luzardo gives Phillies another key part of their long-term rotation plans

The 2024 season was a distinct step backward. He made only 12 starts as he battled elbow tightness and a lumbar stress fracture. Luzardo struggled to a 5.00 ERA and a 1.245 WHiP over his 66.2 innings, striking out 58 batters with 22 walks. The Phillies took a chance that his poor showing was related to those injuries as opposed to anything with his arsenal.

That faith was rewarded in 2025. Luzardo once again established himself as one of the better left-handed starters in the game, posting a 3.92 ERA and a 1.220 WHiP with 216 strikeouts and 57 walks over 183.2 innings. 

Luzardo becomes another long-term option for the Phillies rotation. Aaron Nola had signed a seven-year, $172M contract during the 2023-24 offseason. Cristopher Sanchez is under team control through 2030 due to a pair of team options in his four-year extension. The Phillies are making sure that their rotation is not going anywhere anytime soon.