CLEARWATER, Fla. — The Phillies didn’t need to make the move they made on Sunday morning when they signed Cristopher Sánchez to a new six-year extension. He was already under contract, inked through 2028 at a minuscule figure with team-friendly options for 2029 and 2030.
But the club decided to show continued faith in its ascending Opening Day starter, tacking on at least two more seasons onto Sánchez’s deal and guaranteeing him $107 million through 2032.
“We kind of assumed Years 4 and 5 were a no-brainer as far as we were going to pick those up,” Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said of the club options on the old deal, “so we couldn’t even imagine a scenario in which we wouldn’t.