"The Phillies and right-hander Jesus Luzardo have avoided arbitration by agreeing to an $11MM salary for the 2026 season, 7News' Ari Alexander reports. This is Luzardo's final year of arb eligibility, as he is slated to become a free agent next winter. The $11MM agreement beats the $10.4MM salary projection from MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz, and it represents a sizeable raise over the $6.625MM that Luzardo earned in 2025 (via another arb-avoiding deal with the Phillies)."
"Philadelphia swung the deal in the hopes that Luzardo would rebound from an injury-marred 2024 season to deliver the type of frontline results he showed during Miami's 2023 season. It ended up being a canny move on the Phillies' part, as Luzardo finished seventh in NL Cy Young Award voting. The right-hander posted a 3.92 ERA, 28.5% strikeout rate, and 7.5% walk rate over a career-best 183 2/3 innings, with above-average showings in virtually every Statcast category."
"Another season like this will line Luzardo up for a hefty multi-year free agent deal next winter. Age is also on his side - Luzardo just turned 28 last September, so he'll be hitting the open market in advance of his age-29 season. The Phillies still have time to pursue a contract extension to make Luzardo a long-term piece of the rotation, yet since Luzardo is represented by Scott Boras, chances are much higher that Luzardo will test free agency rather than ink an extension."
Jesus Luzardo and the Phillies agreed to an $11MM salary for the 2026 season, avoiding arbitration. The $11MM figure exceeds a $10.4MM projection and represents a raise from the $6.625MM Luzardo earned in 2025, which followed his midseason acquisition from Miami. Luzardo delivered strong 2025 results, finishing seventh in NL Cy Young voting with a 3.92 ERA, 28.5% strikeout rate, 7.5% walk rate and 183 2/3 innings pitched, plus above-average Statcast metrics. He will be a free agent after 2026 at age 29, and representation by Scott Boras makes free agency the likely path over an extension.
Read at MLB Trade Rumors
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