Phillies, LHP Cristopher Sanchez agree on 4-year extension

PHILADELPHIA -- Left-hander Cristopher Sanchez and the Phillies agreed Saturday to a $22.5 million, four-year contract covering 2025-28.

Sanchez gets a $2 million signing bonus and salaries of $1.5 million in 2025, $3 million in 2026, $6 million in 2027 and $9 million in 2028. Philadelphia has a $14 million option for 2029 with a $1 million buyout and a $15 million option for 2030 with a $1 million buyout.

The options can escalate to $16 million for 2029 and $19 million for 2030 based on top-10 finishes in Cy Young Award voting.

Sanchez, 27, was signed to a one-year contract for 2024 calling for the $753,500 while in the major leagues and $280,432 while in the minors.

"I'm so happy to be here," Sanchez said through a translator. "I feel so great about this contract and what the future is going to be about."

He would have been eligible for arbitration after the 2025 season. The options potentially cover what would be his first two seasons after free agent eligibility.

"We are always open to good players in your organization and keeping them, but philosophically we're not normally into negotiating during the season because it could be a distraction to the player," Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said. "But when we talked about it, we were open-minded to it, but it would have to happen quick. ... It was really fast -- it was probably a week of talking with the London trip in the middle."

Sanchez was demoted to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on April 23 last year and rejoined the Phillies' rotation that June 17. He is 4-3 with a 2.91 ERA in 14 starts this season, allowing one home run in 77 innings.

"When I came up last year, I felt like this was it," Sanchez said. "I'm going to look to stay in the big league. And it was a great day for me."

Philadelphia starters with long-term deals include right-hander Zack Wheeler, who agreed in March to a $126 million, three-year contract for 2025-27, and right-hander Aaron Nola, who is in the first season of a $172 million, seven-year contract.

Left-hander Ranger Suarez, who entered the weekend tied for the big league lead with 10 wins, is eligible for arbitration next winter and can become a free agent after the 2025 season.

"We love Ranger, of course, and we hope that he is part of the organization for a long, long time," Dombrowski said.