Phillies and a $135 million lefty rated as 'biggest disappointments' originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Philadelphia Phillies have not been great this season, as they are tied with their division rival, the New York Mets, for the worst record in Major League Baseball (9-19). Even with talented players, such as first baseman Bryce Harper, designated hitter Kyle Schwarber, and arms like left-handers Cristopher Sanchez and Jesus Luzardo, the Phillies have the second-worst offense (.213 batting average) and third-worst pitching staff (5.13 ERA).
Coming off a 10-game losing streak (April 14-24), one of the biggest disappointments for the Phillies, outside the whole team, has been Luzardo.
The Phillies, in a poll of MLB executives done by Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, received two votes as one of the biggest disappointments this season. Luzardo received three votes for his poor start to the season (1-3 with a 6.91 ERA in five starts).
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Coming off one of his best seasons in 2025 — 15-7 with a 3.92 ERA and struck out 216 in 183.2 innings and finished seventh in the Cy Young Award voting — Luzardo has not lived up to the five-year ($135 million) contract he signed in the offseason. One American League executive pointed out Luzardo's shortcomings in his assessment of the 28-year-old.
“Luzardo was supposed to anchor Philadelphia’s rotation in a World Series window,” an AL executive said. “Instead, he has a 6.91 ERA with hitters batting .295 against him.”
The Phillies did get right-hander Zack Wheeler back to stabilize the starting rotation. Wheeler threw five innings, allowing two earned runs, three walks, and struck out six in his return against the Atlanta Braves on April 25.
However, even with Wheeler back, manager Rob Thomson’s job is in jeopardy. 10.5 games behind the Braves for the lead in the National League East, the Phillies need to turn things around before the season slips further away.
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