The Philadelphia Phillies have continued to invest in their core, showing that they not only want to continue to win, but also that they understand they have one of the more underrated starters in baseball.
After a breakout season that solidified his role in the rotation, left-hander Cristopher Sanchez has been rewarded with a new six-year deal, a move that makes sense for both sides.
For Sanchez, the extension gives him financial security, but it’s also validation of the work he’s put in to reach this point. Sanchez has been given every chance to show what he is and has dominated along the way.
However, this deal means a lot to him, as it should.
“I’m absolutely so proud of being here, and it shows the commitment that this thing happened,” Sanchez said through a team interpreter, per Todd Zolecki of MLB.com. “They rewarded my work and the way I’ve been doing the last few years of my work. It’s just a great commitment. And I appreciate the team doing this for me.”
From the Phillies’ perspective, the decision to extend Sanchez also made a lot of sense. President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski said that the Phillies viewed this as a smart step, especially given his age and other reasons
“We kind of assumed years four and five were a no-brainer as far as we were going to pick those up,” Dombrowski said. “So we couldn’t even imagine a scenario in which we wouldn’t. Now we start talking beyond that. And we thought that somebody of Cristopher’s stature, we’d rather get this done now, while he’s still at the age that makes sense for us.”
“He is very talented,” Dombrowski said. “The other part of it is how hard he works. He works extremely hard. The inquisitive nature in contributing to try to get better, he improved his breaking ball. Also, [pitching coach Caleb Cotham] and the pitching staff members, the coaching staff members, in that regard, have helped him a great deal. Those are all things that contribute.”
Sanchez will be viewed as one of the elite arms on this staff this year and will have to live up to the hype in order to be what he’s expected to be.