PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Left-hander Cristopher Sánchez and the Philadelphia Phillies agreed Saturday to a four-year contract covering 2025-28.
Sánchez, 27, was signed to a one-year contract calling for the $740,000 minimum while in the major leagues and $280,432 while in the minors. His new deal includes team options for 2029 and 2030.
“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.”
Sánchez 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 1/3 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 Suárez, 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.
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