Cristopher Sánchez and the Phillies agree to a 4-year extension

PHILADELPHIA — A year ago this week, Cristopher Sánchez was reinserted into the Phillies rotation out of pure necessity. They didn’t have anyone else. They had asked him to add weight, be stronger and think more like a pitcher. But they didn’t know what to expect.

Sánchez had been back and forth between the majors and minors. Each time he was sent back to Triple-A Lehigh Valley, he consulted César Ramos, the pitching coach.

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

Sánchez worked. He had three straight solid outings at Triple A in June 2023. Ramos thought he was ready to help the Phillies. Sánchez pitched four scoreless innings on June 17, 2023 in Oakland. And since then, he has a 3.13 ERA that ranks him ninth among all Major League Baseball starters.

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

The Phillies rewarded Sánchez, who signed as a teenager for $65,000, with life-changing 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. Athleticism. The deal includes two club options — $14 million for 2029 and $15 million for 2030 — to cover what would be his first two years as a free agent. The option price may increase if Sánchez finishes in the top 10 in National League Cy Young Award voting.

Watch the Phillies press conference live with Cristopher Sánchez and Dave Dombrowski at Citizens Bank Park. https://t.co/breo1ANHRs

– Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) June 22, 2024

Sánchez, 27, has enjoyed a remarkable rise in the last year.

“I was going up and down and continuing to work on my craft,” Sánchez said through an interpreter. “But this time, I said to myself: OK, this is it. I want to stay in the big leagues.

This isn’t a deal the Phillies actively pursued; Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said Sánchez’s agent, Gene Mato, called a few weeks ago to express interest in a long-term contract. Dombrowski wasn’t sure the time was right.

“As much as we would love to have it, in the middle of the season it’s not normally something I’d like to get into,” Dombrowski said. “Because it can be a distraction for the player.”

If it could happen quickly, Dombrowski said, they might be able to close the deal. Mato agreed with this. It took a week of negotiations. There are risks and rewards, as with any long-term deal reached before a player reaches salary arbitration. Sánchez could have made more money year after year in the system. Conversely, he could suffer an injury or decline in performance and still retain his guaranteed money.

Now, with the lefty stuck in the rotation perhaps until 2030, the Phillies have four starters with longer-term commitments. Aaron Nola is under contract through 2030. Zack Wheeler is under contract through 2027. Taijuan Walker’s deal runs through 2026. The Phillies want to extend Ranger Suárez, who will become a free agent after the 2025 season, but these talks have not yet progressed. . Andrew Painter, the club’s top prospect, is 11 months removed from Tommy John surgery and has started throwing from the front slope of the mound. The Phillies are being cautious with Painter, 21, but they are hopeful he will figure into the 2025 plans.

Any extension discussions with Suárez are more likely to take place after this season.

“We love Ranger, of course,” Dombrowski said. ” Why not ? We hope he will be part of the organization for a long time.

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

“I’d be lying if I said I did it,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “His journey has been so remarkable since the first time I saw him throw – 98, 99 (mph) everywhere. I had trouble throwing strikes. I couldn’t even imagine where he is right now. His mastery is exceptional. His fastball is starting to pick up more speed. His secondary pitches are really, really good – especially that changeup. He went from being a superpower without command to being a power with command and all that. It’s truly remarkable.

Sánchez was an afterthought in 2021 and 2022. He was still in the organization in 2023 only because the league granted the Phillies a fourth year minor league option on Sánchez. He made changes to his body, built his confidence and is now launching one of the most effective changes in sports.

“I just followed the leadership and what we built here,” Sánchez said. “What we have with the horses on the team – Wheeler, Nola, Ranger. I just followed the path.

Thomson credited Matt Klentak, the former Phillies general manager who made the trade to acquire Sánchez after the 2019 season. The Tampa Bay Rays did not have a 40-man roster spot for the power left-hander. They sent him to the Phillies for an Australian infielder named Curtis Mead, who became a prospect once he entered Tampa Bay’s system. For years, it seemed like an unbalanced trade.

Sánchez served as minimal justification for the Phillies’ previous regime.

Ramos, hired by this front office, was instrumental in Sánchez’s development. The Phillies have made strides in their pitching program with Caleb Cotham and Brian Kaplan at the helm. Ramos, who was promoted to major league bullpen coach ahead of the 2024 season, deflected the credit.

Sánchez got to work.

“It’s all up to him,” Ramos said. “These were all suggestions we had for him, but he believed in what we had in front of him. And he stuck to it. Because it was good days and bad days. It’s part of growing up. And it was just amazing to work with him.

Ramos, who had an eight-year career as a left-handed reliever in the majors, was always attracted to Sánchez. They both entered the organization at the same time. Sánchez represents an organizational success that they celebrated with an unexpected new contract.

“We knew things were there,” Ramos said. “We knew the makeup was there. Sometimes it just takes time. What happens, especially at this level, is that a little success can go a long way. »