Over the weekend, the Phillies locked up one of their best young, left-handed starting pitchers to a long-term contract extension after a breakout season that has seen him rocket to the top of most pitching categories in the National League.
No, I’m not talking about Ranger Suarez, the league’s ERA leader and leading contender for the Cy Young Award, although everyone is hoping that, at some point, a contract extension will happen for him.
Instead, the team agreed to a four-year extension with No. 4 starter, Cristopher Sanchez, who has used his breakout 2023 season to springboard to an even better ‘24 campaign.
Little known fact: Sanchez has a lower ERA (2.67) and Wins Above Replacement (2.6) than Zack Wheeler (2.73, 2.4). One could make the argument, based on the numbers, that Sanchez has had the better season, although Wheeler has pitched 15 more innings and made one additional start than Sanchez. Regardless, it’s clear the 27-year-old is having a breakout season for the Phillies.
Sanchez is currently second in the National League in ERA, trailing only his teammate Suarez and one spot ahead of Wheeler. Yes, the Phillies own the top three spots in ERA in the National League. It’s crazy.
When Sanchez first came to the big leagues, it was believed his future would be in the bullpen. He had difficulty throwing strikes, and his secondary pitches, particularly his changeup, were not effective in any way. However, pitching coach Caleb Cotham and the rest of the staff has done a remarkable job harnessing his stuff and turning him into one of the most consistent left-handed starting pitchers in baseball.
Sanchez never seems to have two subpar starts in a row, and even when he isn’t at his best, he generally limits the damage. He has not given up more than four earned runs in any start this season, and he’s only done that twice. In his last 13 starts, he has failed to pitch into the 6th inning just twice. And most surprisingly, he has given up just one home run in 15 starts this season, producing ground balls at a 59.5% rate, the third-highest in baseball.
Sanchez hasn’t given up a homer over his last 59 innings, dating back to April 29 against the Angels. That is the longest streak by a Phillies starter in a single season since Roy Halladay 13 years ago, in 2011.
On Sunday, Sanchez was once again electric, pitching seven shutout innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks, one day after his extension was announced. Last year, no one was sure Sanchez’ outstanding season was for real. Clearly, he has done enough here in 2024 to prove to the Phillies front office that he was worth locking down through the 2028 season. He will earn $22.5 million over the next four years, a team-friendly deal to be sure, but one the team didn’t anticipate coming a year ago.
With the seven-year free agent deal for Aaron Nola over the winter and the three-year extension Wheeler signed this spring, the Phils have locked up three-fifths of their starting rotation for the next three years after this one. That only leaves Suarez who, if he continues to pitch the way he has, will deserve a much larger payday from the Phils.
Few, if any, teams in baseball can feature that kind of stability in the starting rotation, and, should everyone remain healthy, keep the World Series window open for a number of years to come.
Make sure to check out the latest Hittin’ Season podcast, where we discuss all angles of the Sanchez extension as well as a full recap of the Diamondbacks series from this weekend.