Category: Phillies/MLB

Jesús Luzardo hasn’t spoken with the Phillies yet about a contract extension.

But it’s a conversation he would like to have.

“It’s not something that I’m closed off to,” said Luzardo, appearing as a guest this week on Phillies Extra, The Inquirer’s baseball podcast. “I just got married and hopefully eventually have a family, and just being stable in a certain place, knowing that you’re comfortable within an organization … it’s something I would be really interested in.”

Stability has eluded Luzardo since he got drafted in 2016. The 28-year-old lefty has been traded three times — from the Nationals to the Athletics in 2017, the Athletics to the Marlins in 2021, and the Marlins to the Phillies before last season.

But Luzardo’s first year with the Phillies was the best of his career. He made 32 starts and worked 183⅔ innings, both career highs. He posted a 3.92 ERA that was inflated by nearly one run by back-to-back starts in which he believed he was tipping pitches. And he incorporated a sweeping slider that became his go-to breaking pitch.

“It’s an organization that I had a really good time in,” Luzardo said. “I love the city, I loved where I lived, and the organization as a whole, how they treat us as players, how they treated my family. But at the end of the day, it’s not entirely up to me or in my hands.

“I’m a firm believer that what is supposed to happen will happen. I haven’t had any of those conversations yet. If they were to come, I would be open to hearing them.”

Regardless, Luzardo said he won’t be in the World Baseball Classic despite receiving calls from Team USA and Venezuela. He pitched for Venezuela in 2023.

“Going into a free-agency year, I made the decision that, unfortunately, I’m not going to be able to pitch in the Classic,” Luzardo said. “I want to take my time, take a slow spring training, fully get ready with the team, make sure my body bounced back after a career high in innings.”

Meanwhile, lefty Cristopher Sánchez is interested in representing the Dominican Republic in the WBC, a major league source said this week. Sánchez was the Cy Young runner-up in the National League last year. Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper committed to playing for Team USA in the tournament, which runs from March 5-17; catcher Garrett Stubbs intends to play for Israel.

Luzardo will make $11 million this year and could be in line to at least double that salary with another good season. Two potential barometers: Framber Valdez and former Phillies teammate Ranger Suárez, free-agent lefties who could sign nine-figure contracts before spring training.

The Phillies will have $38 million rolling off the books after this season when Nick Castellanos and Taijuan Walker’s contracts expire. But they have $165.9 million committed to seven players for 2027: Zack Wheeler, Schwarber, Trea Turner, Harper, Aaron Nola, Brad Keller, and Sánchez. And they had a Zoom call Monday with free-agent infielder Bo Bichette about a long-term contract that would add another big salary.

Extra bases

The Phillies acquired righty reliever Chase Shugart from the Pirates for minor-league infielder Francisco Loreto. Shugart, 29, got designated for assignment after posting a 3.40 ERA in 35 appearances last season for Pittsburgh. He has minor-league options and figures to provide more depth to the bullpen.

PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks acquired eight-time All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado from St. Louis for minor league pitcher Jack Martinez in a trade Tuesday in which the Cardinals also are including $31 million.

A 10-time Gold Glove winner, Arenado has played for the Cardinals the last five seasons and was shopped extensively after the 2024 season by the rebuilding team. The 34-year-old isn’t the offensive force he used to be but will still provide a veteran presence at the position after the D-backs traded slugger Eugenio Suárez at last season’s trade deadline.

Arenado batted. .237 with 12 homers and 52 RBIs last season. He has two years remaining on his contract worth $42 million, with salaries of $27 million this year and $15 million in 2027. The Cardinals will be sending Arizona $22 million to offset this year’s salary and $9 million to offset next year’s pay.

Arenado waived a no-trade clause to accept the deal.

“We are grateful for Nolan’s five years as a Cardinal, on and off the field — for his drive, his competitiveness, and for all of the memories he gave us,” Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom said in a statement.

“As we continue to move forward, we are pleased to add another intriguing pitching prospect to our organization, and excited for the opportunity this move creates for a number of our players to step up and further establish themselves at the big league level,” Bloom added.

Martinez was an eighth-round pick by the D-backs out of Arizona State in 2025.

Arenado is a career .282 hitter and has 353 homers over 13 seasons with the Cardinals and Rockies.

For most of last summer, observers of the Phillies wondered impatiently about when they would call up outfield prospect Justin Crawford.

But Crawford stayed put in triple A.

Now, with president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski signaling that Crawford has the inside track on being the opening-day center fielder, many of those same observers are nervous about the Phillies turning over the keys to a 22-year-old rookie.

It felt timely, then, to invite Crawford’s triple-A hitting coach as a guest on Phillies Extra, The Inquirer’s baseball podcast. Adam Lind obliged, and discussed Crawford’s approach at the plate, which has yielded a .322 batting average in the minor leagues but also a high ground ball rate that leaves critics wondering about his ability to hit major league pitching.

Lind, 42, had a 12-year major league career, mostly with the Blue Jays, and finished with 200 home runs and a 112 OPS-plus. In 2017, his last season in the majors, he played with Bryce Harper and Trea Turner with the Nationals. Lind recalled the experience of teaming with Harper, in particular.

Watch the full interview below and subscribe to the Phillies Extra podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

Q: What was it like in 2017 to be teammates with a 24-year-old Harper at that stage of his career?

A: It was interesting to be around. Even with José Bautista and Félix Hernández, Ryan Braun — those were superstars — but Bryce takes it to another level. So, it was wild to be in his environment. The talent immediately was like, I’ve never seen a player like that. And then I thought his personality was really interesting. He was actually very funny, a very funny character. I enjoyed being around him. It was a good experience, and it was a great year, a great way to end my career, that 2017 summer with the Washington Nationals.

Q: What did Aidan Miller look like when he got to you at [single-A] Jersey Shore two years ago, and then what did he look like when he left Lehigh Valley after spending the last week of the season with you there last year?

A: The first thing I want to compliment Aidan on is his character. It was a tough stretch [in 2024]. We had some deep talks. I learned about him; he learned about me. But the thing is, he worked hard. He gave 110% every single day, and I think more than his hitting or his approach or what I saw, what I witnessed was the type of kid he is and the character he has. And I think that will benefit him hopefully for as many years as he can play. But again, more so than his hitting, his character stands above his work ethic. They’re second to none.

Q: What do you see as the biggest growth for Miller as a hitter?

A: His physicality. He looks the part. He has the size, he has the tools. But one thing that happened to him was, my older players, when they were on deck, or when he was hitting or whatever the case might be, they were complimenting him to me. And when you have 29-, 31-year-olds noticing his talent, that means he’s got a real future in the game. Because a lot of times there’s doubt from those types of players. They don’t believe it until they see it. Day 1, he ignited our team. I know it’s triple A, the minor leagues. We had a big series against Scranton, and without him in our lineup that week, we probably wouldn’t have won that series. And he just ignited our lineup for what we needed at that moment in that part of the season.

Q: Where do you come down on the question of whether Justin Crawford hits enough balls in the air to be successful in the big leagues? And with his speed, does it even really matter?

A: Hopefully it doesn’t matter. I have to give a big shout-out to player acquisition and our amateur scouting. Between Aidan and between Justin, the type of kids they are, the type of adults they will be, their work ethic, they’re second to none. So, in terms of how [Crawford] is going to succeed in the major leagues, you can never forecast the future, but he’s got the right mentality. He’s got the right work ethic. He’s even-keeled. As far as hitting too many balls on the ground, his approach works right now. He’s super fast. His swing works to where he can hit the ball all over the yard. And when you’re left-handed, it’s a big asset to be able to hit the ball on the ground to the left side of the infield. And whenever a defender has to take one step away from first base, that usually means he’ll be safe.

Q: Where did you leave things with Gabriel Rincones Jr., in terms of what he needs to do to take that next step this season?

A: Well, I think the first two months were good for Gabriel. It forced him to learn about himself and learn about the game. We had discussions about, what have you learned so far in your career? And there weren’t really great answers yet. But through the struggle, he matured a lot. He learned a lot about his swing. He learned a lot about approach, and I think it was just the level. And I say this a lot, baseball will tell you when you need to make an adjustment, and that was his calling. Triple A was another level for him. He hadn’t played a whole lot even at double A, so it was a good challenge for him, and he responded well in the second half.

As far as left-handed pitching, I tried to give him some tools. We worked a lot, somewhat a lot, with him in [high-performance] camp [in the fall] on left-handed pitching. But again, his calling card will be to do well against right-handed pitching. He’s immensely talented. In my heart, I think he can hit left-handed pitching, but he just needed some tools and some approach adjustment and just some outside-the-box thinking. Because I had to try and do it — how to survive against left-handed pitching. And you look at Kyle Schwarber, he wasn’t very good [against lefties] at the beginning of his career. He made adjustments. And it’s not usually [about the] swing; it’s an approach thing, and hopefully he will improve. The numbers are kind of low against lefties, so it should be easy to make improvements with just simple approach adjustments.

Facing a deadline Thursday to agree on 2026 salaries or file for arbitration with seven players, the Phillies went 7-for-7, including a one-year deal with Alec Bohm.

But will Bohm still be on the roster by opening day?

The Phillies remain focused on bringing back J.T. Realmuto, according to multiple major league sources. But with the cornerstone catcher still unsigned, the team plans to have a video meeting next week with free-agent infielder Bo Bichette, a source said, confirming a report from The Athletic.

Several hurdles exist in a potential pursuit of Bichette, not the least of which is his positional fit with the Phillies. Save for 32 innings at second base in last year’s World Series, he played only shortstop in seven seasons with the Blue Jays.

The Phillies aren’t moving shortstop Trea Turner and value Bryson Stott’s defense at second base. Bichette hasn’t played third, but the Phillies have transitioned other players to new positions under highly regarded infield coach Bobby Dickerson (Bryce Harper in 2023, for instance.) And other teams are considering Bichette at third base, too.

There’s also a financial component. The Phillies have roughly $302 million in 2026 payroll commitments, encroaching on the highest luxury-tax threshold. They will pay a 110% tax on expenditures above $304 million. (Their 2025 payroll was $314.3 million, fourth-highest in baseball and not including a $56.1 million luxury-tax bill due this month.)

It’s unlikely, then, that the Phillies could sign Bichette and Realmuto. Fitting Bichette into the budget probably would require not only finding a less-expensive catcher, but also trading Bohm at a time when third base-needy teams can still choose from free agents Alex Bregman and Eugenio Suárez. Bohm agreed Thursday on a $10.2 million salary for 2026, his last season before free agency.

Bichette, who will be 28 this season, reportedly is drawing interest from other big-market teams, including the Yankees, Red Sox, and Cubs, according to the New York Post.

He also is a .294 career hitter, including .311 last season, with a high contact rate and right-handed power. He hit 18 homers last season, averaged 24 from 2021 to 2023, and could provide protection in the middle of the order for Harper or Kyle Schwarber. And Bichette has a close relationship with new Phillies bench coach Don Mattingly, for whom he played in Toronto.

If the Phillies pivoted from Realmuto, they would have to find a catcher to at least split time with Rafael Marchán or Garrett Stubbs. They also would risk disrupting a starting rotation that reveres Realmuto. Zack Wheeler rarely shakes off any pitch he calls; Cristopher Sánchez described his impact this way: “We’re basically nothing without him.”

The Phillies made at least one offer to Realmuto last month, according to an MLB.com report. But Realmuto is holding out for a higher salary over a two- or three-year term after making a catcher-record $23.1 million per year since 2021. At age 35 this season, he’s unlikely to come close to that salary.

In addition to Bohm, the Phillies reached agreements on 2026 contracts with the following players (salary figures are according to major league sources): pitchers Jesús Luzardo ($11 million), Jhoan Duran ($7.5 million), and Tanner Banks ($1.2 million); Stott ($5.9 million); infielder Edmundo Sosa ($4.4 million); and outfielder Brandon Marsh ($5.2 million).