Dombrowski Asked How He Thinks Luzardo's Free Agency Would Have Played Out

The Phillies held a 30-minute press conference Tuesday morning in Clearwater to announce Jesus Luzardo's five-year, $135 million contract extension, which kicks in next year.

The deal, which at first glance looks like very good value for the Phils, came together over a period of weeks. Luzardo was slated for free agency at season's end and might have been the second-best starting pitcher on the entire market, after Tarik Skubal. Now the Phillies have him locked up and know exactly how much he will cost through 2031. (Here is an updated look at their payroll.)

Seated next to Luzardo at the podium Tuesday was Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski. Here were Dombrowski's full comments:

The folks who made it happen

"It's a big day for the Phillies organization and, of course, for Jesus," Dombrowski said. "The organization is extremely thrilled to have Jesus with us for the next six years, six-plus years. A big day for us to sign one of the best pitchers in Major League Baseball.

"It's a tribute to him not only from an ability perspective but the hard work and effort he puts in. Everybody in our organization was unanimous in wanting to keep him part of us. We feel that he gives us one of the best starting rotations in Major League Baseball and helps build one of the best clubs.

"A special thanks, first of all, to the family, congratulations, very happy for you. A nice wedding present over the wintertime. Also, special thanks to Brodie Van Wagenen, Jesus' agent, who worked through this deal. A special thanks to (Phillies VP and assistant GM) Ned Rice, who really worked through this deal with Brodie to get this done, along with (Phillies director of baseball strategy) Trey Baur in that respect. And as always, thanks to John Middleton for his support in making this happen, he and the other investors in the team.

"I also think it's extremely important to recognize Rob Thomson, his coaching staff, in this case the pitching people we have in the organization, our training staff with Paul Buchheit, our physical fitness with Morgan (Gregory), because they're the ones that make all this happen with him. It's the hard work and effort of all of them."

Building around SP

Dombrowski was asked why he still believes in allocating so many resources to the starting rotation in an era when starters throw fewer innings than ever before. Dombrowski similarly built out the rotations of the Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox when he led those front offices.

"I can't speak for others, I don't know what their mentality is, but basically, it's worked, because they're good," Dombrowski said.

"Anytime you have a good starting pitcher going out there who can set the tone, it gives you a better chance to win that particular game. For me, I've always felt when you go out there daily and you look at who's on the mound — it doesn't always work this way — but do you have the edge or not? I really like having the edge when you look at the guy out there versus the other club's. And normally, it works out for you in the long haul when you work percentages.

"Fortunately, we're in a spot where we have some of the best in the game of baseball. So it's really worked out throughout the years for me."

Happy for our guy ❤️ pic.twitter.com/TECbiEK6HF
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) March 10, 2026

Valuing Luzardo

What made Luzardo worthy of this big a commitment?

"It starts with the person. It can't, of course, end there," Dombrowski said. "But the hard work, the dedication, the drive to be the best. What he does out on the mound as far as a gamer is concerned and giving you every bit of that. But then, you also talk about the talent. So you combine all of that with one of the best arms in the game from the left-hand side, his breaking stuff, the way he commands the pitches, the drive and determination.

"I think any time you're talking about a long-term deal, which we are, you want to make sure you have the work ethic that will continue to be that way. Talking to his father, I said you must be a hard worker, too, and he said, 'Well, I'm still working.' A lot of times, you grow up with it. But I think all of that is as important as the attributes themselves."

FA market

Where does Dombrowski think Luzardo would have ranked on the free-agent market?

"Very highly. We didn't really want to test that out ourselves, we preferred to have it done at this point," Dombrowski said. "If he pitches the same way this year that he did last year — and we don't see any reason why not — he would be one of the top guys. We know that, he knows that, his representatives know that. That's why we were able to settle. We had a lot of phone calls, Ned did with Brodie and the others involved to try to get to this point where everybody felt comfortable."

Rotation locked up for years to come

Zack Wheeler is signed through the end of 2027. Luzardo is locked up through 2031. Aaron Nola and Cristopher Sanchez are both under contract through 2030, assuming the Phillies exercise Sanchez' club options. Andrew Painter's major-league clock has not even started.

"It's a good feeling to have that," Dombrowski said. "As we all know, anything can happen, and tomorrow you'll probably ask me about the depth that we have in our organization pitching-wise. It all comes hand in hand with having some of the best pitchers in baseball. And Zack's coming along great. He threw (a bullpen session) today, I heard he threw very well.

"You're talking about three guys that finished in the Top 10 in the league in Cy Young award voting last year, one of the best young starters in Andrew Painter coming, we all know Aaron Nola's going to bounce back, and Taijuan Walker has had a nice, solid career. It gives you a lot of comfort when you know you can go forward with those type of individuals."

Impact of Game 2 vs. Dodgers

Luzardo allowed two runs over six innings to the vaunted Dodgers lineup in Game 2 of the NLDS, retiring 17 consecutive hitters from the first through sixth innings. Was that performance the ultimate decider in extending the hard-throwing lefty?

17 retired batters in a row for Jesus Luzardo! pic.twitter.com/IZS1VYeVrV
— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) October 6, 2025

"No, I think it was before that," Dombrowski said. "It didn't hurt by any means because he pitched so well and you like to see a guy pitch in big games. That kind've always puts the extra crown. I've seen guys who are good pitchers, we put them in a big game and they don't necessarily pitch great. Sometimes it takes some experience to do that. But not only the season he had, which was really the most behind it, but when you saw what he did last year in the postseason, it only added to our desires to keep him."