Dave Dombrowski and the Philadelphia Phillies front office checked off an important task on their offseason list of things to do on Thursday afternoon when they agreed to a one-year, $11 million deal with left-handed starter Jesus Luzardo, according to Ari Alexander of 7News.
This new deal secured the obvious inevitability that Luzardo would be a key rotation piece for the 2026 Phillies, although this was never in doubt. However, it also creates a path towards an extension to keep the budding star in South Philly for the long haul.
Avoiding arbitration creates goodwill between the organization and the player while also showing a clear commitment from the front office that they view Luzardo as an integral part of their future.
Jesus Luzardo seems poised to build off debut season in Philadelphia
The 28-year-old left-hander is coming off a solid first season for the Phillies, where he posted a record of 15-7 with a 3.92 ERA in 32 starts. He was rather durable throughout the season, which was maybe the biggest development, as he has dealt with injuries in his career. He pitched a career high 183.2 innings in 2025 and also chipped in another 7.2 innings in the postseason.
Luzardo really blossomed down the stretch in 2025 and in the postseason. Over his final 11 starts, the lefty went 7-2 and posted an ERA of 2.84. In the playoffs, he had an ERA of 2.35, although he was the pitcher of record in two defeats during the Dodgers series. I think we can all agree this was no fault of his own, though.
You would have to imagine that an extension is not far off between the two sides, as Luzardo really fits inside that window of being a part of this current core while also being young enough to be a part of the next great Phillies core as well.
You can also factor in the Zack Wheeler situation, along with the potential of losing Ranger Suarez in free agency, and quickly, you see that the expectations/reliance on Jesus Luzardo will only increase heading into 2026 and beyond.
Regardless, should an extension be agreed upon before the season or not, you can lock in Jesus Luzardo as the number two starter for the Philadelphia Phillies with a real chance to take that next step to ace status. It should be fun to see what sort of leap he can make this season, and I think we can all agree it is comforting to know he will be in South Philly.