Story byJon ConahanMon, January 12, 2026 at 8:37 PM UTC·2 min readPhillies’ Jesus Luzardo seemingly gets ridiculous contract prediction, but it might make sense originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here. If Philadelphia Phillies starter Jesus Luzardo ends up pushing the top of the pitching market, I’ll admit I’d be a little surprised, just given who he is. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementNot to say that Luzardo is a bad arm by any means, but he isn’t the same caliber as other left-handed aces around the league. Some think he could land a big deal, including Tim Kelly of On Pattison. He predicted that Luzardo could sign a deal worth $28 million AAV, a number that feels way too high for him.“As far as average annual value, Garrett Crochet of the Boston Red Sox and Tyler Glasnow of the Los Angeles Dodgers — who are currently seventh and eighth in AAV among starting pitchers — could offer interesting reference points because both got their deals after being traded and without testing free agency.“Crochet has a $28.3 million AAV over six years, while Glasnow has a $27.3 million AAV over a five-year deal.
