Philadelphia Phillies, Jesús Luzardo agree to 5-year, $135 million contract extension, reports say
Jesús Luzardo is staying in Philadelphia for the long term.
The Phillies and the left-handed starting pitcher agreed to a five-year, $135 million contract extension Monday, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.
The reported extension, which will begin in 2027, gives Luzardo a $27 million average annual value. He will become one of the highest-paid lefties in the game, with his AAV matching Chris Sale's recent one-year, $27 million extension with the Braves.
The highest paid lefties in MLB by AAV are Framber Valdez ($38.3 million, Tigers), Blake Snell ($36.4 million, Dodgers), Tarik Skubal ($32 million, Tigers), Garrett Crochet ($28.3 million, Red Sox), Max Fried ($27.25 million, Yankees) and Carlos Rodón of the Yankees, Sale and Luzardo at $27 million.
Luzardo, 28, set career highs in innings (183 2/3) and strikeouts (216) with a 15-7 record, 3.92 ERA and 3.9 bWAR in his first season with the Phillies in 2025. He finished seventh in the National League Cy Young voting. The southpaw started the season striking out 77 batters with a 2.15 ERA in his first 11 starts.
In the playoffs, Luzardo made one start and a relief appearance in the Phillies' National League Division Series loss to the eventual World Series champions Los Angeles Dodgers. In his lone start, Luzardo struck out five and allowed two runs on three hits in six innings. He came out of the bullpen in the NLDS' deciding Game 4, striking out three in 1 2/3 innings.
The Phils acquired Luzardo from the Miami Marlins in December 2024.
Philadelphia now has starting pitchers Cristopher Sánchez, Luzardo and Aaron Nola signed through at least 2030.