Rewarding LHP Christopher Sanchez for remarkable growth, Phillies agree to 4-year extension

PHILADELPHIA – One year ago this week, Christopher Sanchez was reinserted into the Phillies’ rotation due to desperate need. He had no one else. He told him to gain weight, get stronger and think like a pitcher. But they didn’t know what to expect.

Sanchez had been going back and forth between big and small people. Whenever he was sent back to Triple-A Lehigh Valley, he sought advice from pitching coach Cesar Ramos.

“I’m hungry,” Sanchez once told Ramos. “I want to go back there. What should I do?”

Sanchez worked. He had three consecutive strong performances in Triple A in June 2023. Ramos believed he was ready to help the Phillies. Sánchez pitched four scoreless innings in Oakland on June 17, 2023. And, since then, he has a 3.13 ERA that ranks ninth among all starters in Major League Baseball.

“He was hot and pitching well,” Ramos said. “The stars kind of aligned. And he never looked back.”

The Phillies rewarded Sanchez, who had signed for $65,000 as a teenager, with a life-changing amount of money. His new four-year contract, which begins next season and covers his arbitration years, is worth $22.5 million, three major league sources said. Athletic. The deal includes two club options – $14 million for 2029 and $15 million for 2030 – to cover what will be his first two free-agent years. The value of options could increase if Sanchez finishes in the top 10 of National League Cy Young Award voting.

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Sanchez, 27, has made significant progress in the last year.

“I’ll come up and come down and continue to work on my craft,” Sanchez said through an interpreter. “But this time, I felt like, OK, this is it. I want to be in the big leagues.”

This is not a deal that the Phillies actively pursued; Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said Sanchez’s agent, Gene Mato, had called a few weeks earlier to express interest in a long-term contract. Dombrowski wasn’t sure if the timing was right.

“As much as we would love to keep him in the middle of the season, it’s generally not something I would want to be involved in,” Dombrowski said. “Because it can be distracting to the player.”

If it could happen faster, Dombrowski said, maybe they could make a deal. Mato agreed to this. The negotiations took a week. There is risk and reward, as with any long-term deal signed before a player reaches salary arbitration. Sanchez may have made more money year after year in the system. Conversely, he can suffer an injury or decline in performance and still have guaranteed money.

Now, with the left-hander possibly locked into the rotation until 2030, the Phillies have four starters on long-term commitments. Aaron Nola is under contract until 2030. Zack Wheeler is under contract until 2027. Taijuan Walker’s deal runs until 2026. The Phillies are interested in extending Ranger Suarez, who will be a free agent after the 2025 season, but those talks have not yet made progress. Andrew Painter, the club’s top pitching prospect, is 11 months removed from Tommy John surgery and has started throwing with a slope in front of the mound. The Phillies are being cautious with the 21-year-old Painter, but expect him to be included in their 2025 plans.

Any extension talks with Suárez would most likely take place after this season.

“Of course, we love the Rangers,” Dombrowski said. “Why won’t you? We hope he will be a part of the organization for a long time.”

With Sanchez, the Phillies believe there is still untapped potential. They are open-minded to what Sanchez could be because very few people – if any – envisioned this transformation.

Phillies manager Rob Thomson said, “I’d be lying if I said I did.” “From the first time I saw him bowling 98, 99 (mph) everywhere, his journey has been pretty remarkable. Struggled to throw strikes. I can’t even imagine where he is now. His command is excellent. His fastball has started to gain more velocity. His secondary pitches are really good – especially that changeup. He’s gone from being a super power guy with no commands to being a power guy with commands and stuff. “It is truly remarkable.”

Sanchez was not considered for 2021 and 2022. He was still in the organization in 2023 as the league granted the Phillies a fourth minor-league option year on Sanchez. He made changes to his body, developed confidence and now has one of the most effective turnarounds in the game.

“I’ve just followed the leaders, what we’ve built here,” Sanchez said. “What we have with the team horses – Wheeler, Nola, Ranger. I just followed the path.

Thomson credited former Phillies general manager Matt Klentak, who made the trade to acquire Sanchez after the 2019 season. The Tampa Bay Rays did not have a 40-man roster spot for a hard-throwing lefty. They traded him to the Phillies for an Australian infielder named Curtis Mead, who became a breakout prospect after entering Tampa Bay’s system. For years, it looked like an unbalanced trade.

Sanchez served as a bit of validation for the previous Phillies reign.

Ramos, recruited by that front office, was instrumental in Sanchez’s development. The Phillies have made strides in their pitching program under the leadership of Caleb Cotham and Brian Kaplan. Ramos, who was promoted to major-league bullpen coach ahead of the 2024 season, deferred credit.

Sanchez got to work.

“It’s all on him,” Ramos said. “We had all these suggestions for him, but he believed what we put in front of him. And he stuck to it. Because those were good days and bad days. This is part of development. And he was amazing to work with.”

Ramos, who had an eight-year career as a lefty reliever in the majors, was always attracted to Sanchez. Both of them joined the organization at the same time. Sanchez represents an organizational success which he celebrated with a new, unexpected contract.

“We knew the stuff was there,” Ramos said. “We knew the makeup was there. Sometimes it just takes time. What happens is, especially at this level, a little success goes a long way.”

(Top photo: Bill Streicher/USA TODAY)