Phillies Extend Jesus Luzardo to Lucrative Long-Term Contract

The Philadelphia Phillies have signed Jesus Luzardo to a five-year contract worth $135 million. The deal begins in 2027, and it also includes a club options for the 2032 season. His $27 million average annual value would rank ninth among current MLB starting pitchers in 2026.

Dave Dombrowski’s relatively quiet offseason entering 2025 still included the addition of a starter who threw at the top of one of the best rotations in the majors last season.

Jesus Luzardo set career highs with 183 ⅔ innings pitched and 216 strikeouts in his first season with the Phillies at age 27. He tied his career high with 32 starts after back issues slowed down his final season with the Miami Marlins in 2024.

Pitching coaches Caleb Cotham and Mark Lowy helped Luzardo develop a sweeper as an effective putaway pitch after joining the Phillies. Opposing hitters finished 2025 with a .177 batting average against the new pitch and an outrageous 43.7% whiff rate. 

Luzardo finished seventh in National League Cy Young voting. He cemented himself as a long-term piece of a starting rotation with fellow left-hander Cristopher Sanchez as its centerpiece.

The young left-hander threw six innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers in a Game 2 start in the National League Division. He pitched 1⅔ innings in relief in Game 4, but he ultimately took the loss on an unearned run after an Orion Kerkering throwing error. 

While two midseason blowups inflated his season ERA to 3.92, Luzardo established his value with 18 quality starts (tied for 11th among all MLB pitchers) and 5.3 WAR (6th among all MLB pitchers).

The Jesus Luzardo Family Foundation also took successful steps in fundraising for Boys & Girls Clubs. He hosted his Cheesesteaks for Charity event at Citizens Bank Park in August and a charity golf outing in South Florida during the offseason.

All stats courtesy of StatCast, Baseball Reference, and FanGraphs. WAR formula from FanGraphs.