Breaking news out of MLB on Monday afternoon. ESPN’s Jeff Passan announced that the Philadelphia Phillies and southpaw Jesus Luzardo have agreed on a five-year contract extension. Luzardo, 28, was set to become a free agent after this season. The new deal will begin in 2027 and lock up one of baseball’s best young arms. The deal is reportedly five years’ worth up to $135 million.
Luzardo joined the Phillies before the 2025 season and was a key part of the team’s stellar starting rotation last season. He pitched to a 3.92 ERA over 32 starts and 183.2 innings. It’s not uncommon for teams to lock up their players who will become free agents after the current season in March or April to get ahead of things. The Phillies are doing exactly that with this signing.
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Phillies Extend Jesus Luzardo Ahead of 2026 Season
GettyThe Phillies have been urged to sign Jesus Luzardo to a contract extension
The Phillies have locked up their guy. Jesus Luzardo carries a career 4.19 ERA over 121 starts and 695.2 innings.
He will likely take over as the Phillies’ third option in the rotation, behind Christopher Sanchez and Zack Wheeler. Philadelphia lost Ranger Suarez to free agency earlier this year, and this is clearly the rebound move.
Luzardo came up with the Athletics back in 2019 and has spent seven seasons in MLB, but has more than enough of a track record to earn a contract extension. Luzardo was traded to the Miami Marlins in 2021, where he pitched for four seasons. In those four seasons (2021-2024), Luzard boasted a 4.15 ERA over 74 starts. He had some ups and downs with the Phillies in 2025, but his production was clearly enough for Dave Dombrowski to ink him to a contract extension.
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Jesus Luzardo Inks $27 Million AAV Deal
Now that the financials of the deal have been released, it will be a $27 million AAV deal for Luzardo.
The deal, negotiated by Roger Tomas and Brodie Van Wagenen of Roc Nation, puts Luzardo among the highest-paid left-handed pitchers in baseball and solidifies the Phillies’ rotation going forward.
This is an interesting deal, because many Phillies fans likely would have wanted the team to keep Ranger Suarez, but considering they missed out on Suarez, the team turned to assuring Luzardo is in a Phillies uniform for the foreseeable future.
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Phillies Extend Jesus Luzardo to Five-Year, $135 Million Contract