Report: Phillies ink Jesús Luzardo to five-year, $135 million extension

Dating back to last season, Dave Dombrowski has spoken at length about his desire to keep left-handed pitcher Jesús Luzardo in red pinstripes for a long time to come. Monday evening, he and the Phillies made that desire a reality.

According to ESPN's Jeff Passan and NBC Sports Philadelphia's Jim Salisbury, the Phillies and Luzardo are in agreement on a five-year. $135 million contract extension set to begin in 2027. Passan reported the length of the deal, and Salisbury followed it up with the financial details.

Luzardo, 28, was set to become a free agent in 2027; he and the Phillies avoided arbitration on Jan. 8 by settling on a $11 million salary for 2026. 

In 2025, Luzardo made 32 starts, matching his career high, and threw a career-high 183 2/3 innings. He finished with a 3.92 ERA, striking out 216 batters along the way, and shone in two NLDS appearances.

As early as the Phillies' year-end press conference in October, Dombrowski said his goal was to lock Luzardo down long-term. It's smart of the Phillies to lock Luzardo down now, following the pitcher's seventh-place finish in 2025 NL Cy Young Award voting. If the Phillies waited until after 2026, and if Luzardo outperformed his 2025 numbers, his asking price would have been much higher than $135 million.

Until the return of Zack Wheeler, the Phillies will lean on Luzardo to be a stable presence in their starting rotation. Following his first Spring Training start on Thursday, manager Rob Thomson said Luzardo has the potential to attain All-Star recognition or win that elusive Cy Young Award. 2026 could be a big season for the 28-year-old.

Luzardo's actual deal is surprisingly close to the five-year, $140-million prediction OnPattison's Tim Kelly made back in January:

It hurts to get this close https://t.co/vlrtZDtEZg

— Tim Kelly (@TimKellySports) March 9, 2026

Close, but no cigar.

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