Phillies Face Huge Contract Year Question with Star Left-Handed Pitcher

The Philadelphia Phillies have a stout rotation, but this pitcher’s contract status lingers over the future of the pitching staff.

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Sketch out an opening day starting rotation for the Philadelphia Phillies and one must feel pretty good about 2026. But what about beyond that?

A glimpse at the depth chart shows a rotation that includes Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Cristopher Sánchez and Jesús Luzardo. Assuming Wheeler is ready to go after shoulder surgery to repair thoracic outlet decompression surgery, he’ll top the rotation.

Filling out the fifth spot could be as easy as promoting top prospect Andrew Painter. Taijuan Walker can swing in and out of the rotation. There’s even the remote possibility the Phillies could lure Ranger Suárez back in free agency.  

Looking beyond 2026, no pitcher has more on the line than Luzardo, who is a free agent after the season and, according to MLB.com, is one of 10 players that have the most interesting contract years to watch.

Jesús Luzardo’s Final Phillies Season?

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The Phillies acquired Luzardo from the Miami Marlins in a trade last offseason. The price to get the left-hander was two highly regarded prospects, outfielder Emaarion Boyd and shortstop Starlyn Caba.

The idea for Philadelphia was to get a solid left-hander with two years of team control, one that had a track record of success, assuming he remained healthy. For Luzardo, it was a chance to boost his free agency value before hitting the open market after the 2026 season. He’ll be entering his age 30 season in 2027, and he’ll be an attractive target for pitching-hungry teams.

He’s coming off is best record as a starter, as he went 15-7 with a 3.92 ERA in 32 starts, with a career-high 216 strikeouts and career-low 58 walks in 183.2 innings. The ERA looks shaky. But, as MLB.com pointed out, Luzardo gave up 20 earned runs in a two-game stretch in 2025. That was his last start in May and his first start in June.

Before that? He had a 2.15 ERA. After that? He had a 3.57 ERA. So perhaps he just had a bad couple of games, which happens. Luzardo is preparing for a third-year arbitration contract that could fetch him $10.4 million, per MLB Trade Rumors. The Phillies have that baked into 2026 payroll. But Philadelphia has good reasons to try and get a longer-term deal done with him now.

Wheeler has already said he’s retiring after the 2027 season. Sánchez is under contract through 2028 at a reasonable cost, but the Phillies have options after that. Nola is on a long-term deal and Painter has six years of team control. Does it make sense for Philadelphia to lock up Luzardo now before he hits the market or let it ride? Should Luzardo bet on himself or get something long-term now?

That’s why his situation is one of the most intriguing going into 2026.