June 22, 2024
Bill Streicher/USA TODAY Sports
The Phillies have reportedly rewarded Cristopher Sánchez's continued breakout with a contract extension.
UPDATE [11:45 a.m. ET] – Sánchez's new deal has been made official:
Sánchez is stayin’ in Philly 🤝#RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/mQFQpnATV9
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) June 22, 2024
The extension will kick in with the 2025 season and last until 2028, with club options for 2029 and 2030, per Phillies president Dave Dombrowski in the team's press release.
With this contract, the 27-year old left-hander will have a place in the Phillies' plans for the foreseeable future.
EARLIER...
The Phillies and left-hander Cristopher Sánchez are closing in on a four-year contract extension that includes multiple years' worth of options, per New York Post and MLB Network insider Jon Heyman.
Breaking: Cristopher Sanchez and the Phillies are finalizing a 4 year extension (plus options) to buy out his arbitration years and give Phils additional control. Sanchez, 27, wouldn’t have been eligible for arbitration until 2026; was in AAA last year. He’s 4-3 with 2.91 ERA.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) June 22, 2024
The deal will buy out Sánchez's remaining four seasons of team control – the latter three being his arbitration-eligible years – and give the Phillies the option to attain an extra year or two of control on the starting pitcher who has quickly become one of baseball's most effective southpaws.
This sort of deal is common in today's day and age, as it allows a player to secure life-changing money before a theoretical injury or poor performance lowers their stock, while teams attain the opportunity to delay the player's free agency for a few seasons.
The Phillies have owned the best record in the National League for several weeks now, and they have done it thanks in large part to their starting pitching rotation, which has simply been dominant. Sánchez has taken another major step forward, serving as a remarkable No. 4 starter behind Cy Young candidates Ranger Suárez and Zack Wheeler as well as a potential All-Star in Aaron Nola.
MORE: Cristopher Sánchez is making another leap in 2024
In 14 starts in 2024, Sánchez has posted a 2.91 ERA in 77.1 innings pitched with 66 strikeouts. Entering Saturday, he was eighth-best among all major-league starting pitchers in Fangraphs' version of WAR. He has only allowed one home run all season, and his 0.12 home runs allowed per nine innings is the best mark among all starters. His 59.4 ground ball percentage is the second-highest in the majors.
Sánchez's rise from a fringe roster player on the verge of falling out of favor to a pitcher being rewarded with a long-term contract extension represents a massive player development success for the Phillies – and is a testament to Sánchez's ability and work ethic.
Sánchez is scheduled to be on the mound Sunday morning in the team's series finale against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
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