One of the most underrated trades of the 2024-25 offseason was the Philadelphia Phillies’ deal for Jesus Luzardo.
The club struck an in-division trade with the Miami Marlins, acquiring Luzardo (and catcher Paul McIntosh) for prospects Starlyn Caba and Emaarion Boyd. At the time of the trade, Caba was the No. 4 prospect in the Phillies system, and Boyd was No. 23.
The young left-hander shined in Philadelphia, going 15-7 with a 3.96 earned run average. Luzardo tossed 183.2 innings in the regular season, striking out 216 batters.
Phillies’ rotation
With Ranger Suarez moving on to the Boston Red Sox earlier in the offseason, Luzardo comfortably settles in as the Phillies’ third-best arm. Heading into the start of the 2026 season, you can argue that the second-year Phillie is currently the second-best on the roster. This, of course, is with Zack Wheeler, who is currently still recovering from thoracic outlet syndrome.
This upcoming offseason will be loaded with starting pitching talent. Players such as Tarik Skubal, Freddy Peralta, and Joe Ryan will all be eligible to hit the open market. These contracts are likely to be expensive, and teams that can reach extensions with their players before they hit the open market will likely save themselves a significant amount of money.
By the end of 2027, three members of the Phillies’ current rotation could very well be off the team.
| Pitcher | Contract Expires |
| Cristopher Sanchez | 2030 (club option) |
| Zack Wheeler | 2027 |
| Jesus Luzardo | 2026 |
| Aaron Nola | 2030 |
| Andrew Painter | 2032 |
| Taijuan Walker | 2026 |
The club wisely extended Cristopher Sanchez in 2024, keeping him under contract through 2030. Wheeler’s contract expires after 2027, and the veteran has been very adamant about his intentions to retire. Aaron Nola is under contract through 2030 as well but is also coming off the worst season of his big league tenure.
A wildcard in this scenario is Andrew Painter, the club’s top prospect. Painter is expected to join the starting rotation come Opening Day. If Painter blossoms into the quality of pitcher he is projected to become, the Phillies’ rotation is going to be that much more dominant.
Jesus Luzardo
If Luzardo can improve upon his marks from 2025, the Phillies are going to benefit from one of the best pitchers in the National League yet again.
Luzardo will be a dark horse candidate for the NL Cy Young award, which he finished 7th in voting for just a year ago.
Rather than waiting until the end of this season, the Phillies front office should prioritize extending their left-handed starter before the season begins.
Allowing him to pitch comfortably this season, rather than focusing on his future, would more than likely benefit the Phillies as well. We saw this past season that the club failed to extend Kyle Schwarber before free agency. This cost them more money than they would have otherwise paid had they gotten a deal done earlier.
The club followed the same process when Aaron Nola reached free agency. This is another situation where the team paid more than they needed to in order to retain one of their best players.
Philly should offer Luzardo an extension on the first day of Spring Training. Lock him in for a future in Philadelphia and create a spark as the club heads for a pivotal 2026 season.
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