Phillies agree to new contract extension with Cristopher Sánchez

In a move that is unprecedented in Major League Baseball, the Phillies are signing Cristopher Sánchez to a restructured extension, the team announced Sunday morning.

Sánchez’s new deal begins in 2027 and runs through 2032 with a club option for 2033. The new deal guarantees him $107 million, per Matt Gelb of The Athletic.

“I’m proud of being here,” Sánchez said through assistant general manager Jorge Velandia. “(The contract) shows the commitment the team has. … I appreciate the team doing this.”

Sánchez originally signed a contract extension in the middle of the 2024 season. That deal was worth $22.5 million over four years with escalating 2029 and 2030 club options. This new deal guarantees those club options.

“We didn’t (have to do this),” president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said. “But when we looked into the future… We kind of assumed years four and five were a no-brainer, as far as we were going to pick those up.”

With 2029 and 2030 now guaranteed years for Sánchez, the Phillies have added three additional years to his contract, with the new team option included. MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki reported on Sunday that Sánchez will make $30 million in 2031 and 2032. The club option for 2033 is worth $44.5 million. Sánchez’s 2026 salary will remain what is was as part of his original deal ($3.5 million).

Sánchez’s extension is the second one for a Phillies left-handed starting pitcher this spring. The club agreed to terms on a five-year, $135 million contract extension with Jesús Luzardo two weeks ago. Those two project to form a strong one-two punch atop the Phillies’ rotation for years to come, with Sánchez, who’s upped his game since signing his original extension, leading the way.

“It’s probably a combination of things,” Dombrowski said of Sánchez’s continued growth. “One is he’s very talented. … The other part of it is how hard he works. He works extremely hard.”

Seeing Sánchez, who finished as the National League Cy Young Award runner-up in 2025, not slow down after signing that deal in 2024 gave the Phillies comfort in giving the lefty this new contract.

“You also realize that when he has the ability and signs a deal,” Dombrowski said, “there’s no thought process that, ‘Okay thats it.’ You know he wants to be the best and he’ll be driven to do that.”

Up next for Sánchez is the first Opening Day start of his career on Thursday when he faces the Texas Rangers at Citizens Bank Park.

Destiny Lugardo and Ty Daubert contributed to this story.