Phillies, Cristopher Sánchez agree to four-year, $22.5 million contract extension: ‘His journey has been so remarkable’

Last June, the Phillies called up Cristopher Sánchez from triple A to be their No. 5 starter because, well, they tried just about everyone else.

Bailey Falter wasn’t the answer. Neither was Matt Strahm, signed as a multi-inning reliever. The Phillies plucked Dylan Covey off waivers, and he got bombed in Atlanta. They used openers and bulk relievers. Nothing worked.

So, along came Sánchez, and the bar couldn’t have been lower.

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But there was the 27-year-old lefty Saturday, on the eve of his 31st start as a rotation regular, the recipient of a freshly minted four-year contract extension that begins next season, runs through 2028, and includes club options for 2029 and 2030.

“As much as we like Cristopher, I wouldn’t be telling you the truth if I was telling you last year when he first came up that we’d be sitting here and he’d have enjoyed the success that he’s had over the last year,” said Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski. “What he’s accomplished has really been phenomenal.”

To be specific, Sánchez has a 2.91 ERA this season, seventh-best in the National League entering the weekend. His 3.15 mark since returning to the majors last June 17 is 19th among 115 pitchers who have thrown at least 100 innings in that span.

Financial terms weren’t disclosed as a matter of team policy, although the overall value of the contract is $22.5 million, with the options worth $14 million and $15 million, multiple sources confirmed. Sánchez, who is making $753,500 this season, was under club control through 2028. The extension covers his arbitration years and could delay his free agency by at least one year, possibly two.

But there’s no denying the message: Sánchez is a foundational piece of a starting rotation that led the Phillies to the best record in the National League through three months of the season — and has them dreaming of so much more in October.

“I follow what they do,” Sánchez, wearing an Alec Bohm-inspired “I love this place” T-shirt, said through a team interpreter. “[Zack] Wheeler, when he throws eight innings, I want to match that or do even better. Wheeler’s my favorite pitcher. He’s one of the top pitchers in the league. It’s unbelievable that I can be in the clubhouse and the same field with all these pitchers, especially Wheeler.”

» READ MORE: Do the Phillies have the best Big Three in MLB? How they stack up to other formidable starter trios.

The rotation figures to be intact for a while, too. Wheeler signed a three-year, $126 million extension in March that will keep him with the Phillies through 2027. Aaron Nola is signed through 2030 after re-upping in November on a seven-year, $172 million free-agent deal.

Having locked up Sánchez, the Phillies could shift their focus to Ranger Suárez, who has one more year of arbitration eligibility before he can become a free agent after next season.

“We love Ranger, of course, and hope that he’s part of the organization for a long time,” Dombrowski said. “Contract negotiations are always something I’ve kept to ourselves. I don’t see any reason to be public about them. There’s nothing to be gained.”

Besides, extension agreements are exceedingly uncommon in the middle of the season. But Sánchez’s agent, Gene Mato, contacted Dombrowski a few weeks ago to convey his client’s interest in a long-term deal. It came together quickly, according to Dombrowski, even despite the disruption of the Phillies’ four-day trip to London earlier this month.

“During the middle of the season, it’s not normally something that I like to get into because it can be a distraction for the player,” Dombrowski said. “We were open-minded about it, but it had to happen quickly, one way or the other. And he agreed to that.”

The whole thing is mind-blowing, considering Sánchez’s status within the organization only 12 months ago.

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Sánchez ping-ponged between triple A and the majors in 2021 and 2022. He dealt with a sore triceps muscle in his left arm in spring training last year, then allowed 43 hits and 29 walks in only 49⅔ triple-A innings.

The Phillies always liked Sánchez’s arm, with the scouts and analysts recommending him as a trade target. The Rays couldn’t squeeze him into their 40-man roster after the 2019 season, so the Phillies acquired him for minor-league infielder Curtis Mead.

It proved to be a steal for former general manager Matt Klentak.

Sánchez also represents a triumph for the player-development staff, which got him to change his diet and add muscle to his rail-thin 6-foot-6 frame. And he bought into a plan that might have seemed counterintuitive at the time: He dialed back his velocity last year to improve his command.

A four-inning start in Oakland (cut short by a line drive off the hand) in his return to the majors led to a five-inning outing at home against the Mets and a six-inning gem against the Nationals. He walked more than one batter in only two of 17 starts after getting called back up.

“His journey has been so remarkable from the first time I saw him throw — 99, all over the place, couldn’t throw strikes — to where he is now,” manager Rob Thomson said. “I wouldn’t have believed it. His command is outstanding. His fastball’s starting to get more velocity. The changeup is the best on the team.

“I’m really proud of him because it’s an unbelievable story, really.”

» READ MORE: Former GM Matt Klentak’s mark on the Phillies’ roster remains strong. Now the team is reaping the benefits.

And it might actually get better. Sánchez has added heat back to his sinker — a 2.2-mph uptick, on average, this season — while maintaining his command. He developed a cutter. With a 60.4% ground ball rate, he’s a certified ant-killer.

The Phillies were encouraged by Sánchez’s upside after last season and didn’t pursue rotation upgrades in free agency, even though marquee lefties Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery were unsigned going into spring training.

Now, they view him as a rotational anchor.

“I didn’t see him getting to this point, so I don’t know where it’s going to end up,” Thomson said. “But if you grade his stuff out, it’s as good as anybody we’ve got.”

Said right fielder Nick Castellanos: “Man, he’s got electric stuff. And just the more innings he has under his belt, the more that he’s able to find himself in familiar situations, the better he’s going to get.”

Thomson walked by Sánchez in the clubhouse Saturday morning and offered his congratulations.

“You’re going to have me for a long time,” Sánchez said.

“I’m not sure whether I’m going to be here,” Thomson said, laughing, “but you’re going to be here for a while.”