Last offseason, the Philadelphia Phillies made a major addition to their pitching staff, acquiring Jesus Luzardo in a trade with the Miami Marlins.

Luzardo was rather inconsistent during his debut campaign with the Phillies, but for the most part, he was good, logging a 3.92 ERA while allowing 167 hits and racking up 216 strikeouts over 183.2 innings of work. He also posted a 2.90 FIP.

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The 28-year-old has just one year of club control remaining, meaning that Philadelphia may need to start thinking about his future with the team, especially with Zack Wheeler being 36 and returning from a blood clot and Ranger Suarez likely walking this winter.

So, could the Phillies extend Luzardo this offseason? Or would re-signing Kyle Schwarber to a big deal get in the way of a potential pact between Philadelphia and the left-hander?

Todd Zolecki of MLB.com provided an update on a potential Luzardo extension in a recent mailbag and doesn’t seem to believe that Schwarber will have an effect on it.

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Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Jesus Luzardo. Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images.

Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Jesus Luzardo. Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images.

“I don’t think it’ll affect Luzardo,” Zolecki wrote. “Remember, Nick Castellanos’ $20 million and Taijuan Walker’s $18 million will be coming off the books next year. That should allow them to sign somebody like Luzardo to an extension.”

Luzardo was originally selected by the Washington Nationals in the third round of the 2016 MLB Draft but was traded to the Oakland Athletics in 2017.

The Peruvian native broke into the big leagues with the Athletics in 2019 and spent two-and-a-half seasons in Oakland, struggling with a 4.79 ERA. He was then dealt to the Marlins midway through 2021 and came into his own in Miami the following year, pitching to the tune of a 3.32 ERA while posting a 10.8 K/9 over 18 starts.

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Luzardo then had a very strong campaign in 2023, recording a 3.58 ERA while averaging 10.5 strikeouts over nine innings across 178.2 frames. Injuries limited him to just 12 starts during his final season with the Marlins in 2024 before he was traded to the Phillies.

Over the course of his career, Luzardo owns a 4.19 ERA, 3.69 FIP, 1.243 WHIP and 10.0 K/9.

We’ll see if Philadelphia ultimately decides to extend the lefty or allows him to hit free agency after 2026.