Phillies reworked Cristopher Sanchez's contract sets 'horrible precedent' per ex-MLB GM

Every team in every professional sport always wants to find a way to get great players for very cheap. In Major League Baseball, it's not any different. And for the Philadelphia Phillies, they had such a player and contract with Cristopher Sanchez.

The 2025 Cy Young runner-up was under contract for the next four years on a $22.5 million deal with $15 million options in 2029 and 2030. That was a steal. But the Phillies reworked his contract, paying him a lot more than he was previously making.

That big contract extension for Sanchez is a great one for the Phillies, and especially for Sanchez. But, according to former MLB GM Jim Bowden, this reworked deal for Sanchez set a "horrible precedent" for teams around Major League Baseball.

Phillies set horrible precedent with Cristopher Sanchez's extension

"The way the Phillies reworked the contract of Cristopher Sanchez sets a horrible precedent for teams," Bowden writes. "Great for Sanchez, generous of the Phillies, but now every player that has far outperformed his agreed-upon contract will ask his club to do the same."

This is an unprecedented contract reworking from the Phillies. Most teams will simply keep their cheap player under contract through their current deal and not worry about the player asking for a bigger payday for the productivity he's provided the team.

But now, after the Phillies have given Sanchez this extension, which, according to Matt Gelb of The Athletic, will pay him $107 million in guarantees as opposed to his much smaller guarantees of a little above $22 million on his previous deal.

More: Jesus Luzardo’s $135 million extension is a steal for Phillies

That's a massive pay raise, and now, in Bowden's opinion, that will have massive ramifications on the rest of the Major League Baseball world.

Players who are signed to cheap deals that are far outperforming their current contracts might now have more leverage in asking for a raise after what the Phillies just did.

It's a bit of an overreaction to call this a "horrible precedent" to set. It's not that the Phillies are doing something so outlandish. They're extending Sanchez, and rewarding him handsomely during the new year's added to his deal.

While this is an unprecedented move, it's not so league-breaking that it will be such a horrible precedent. However, it will be interesting to see if there are any other players who use this Sanchez extension as justification to ask for new deals in the coming years.

More MLB news:

• Blue Jays sign Joe Mantiply to minor league contract
• Dodgers’ Roki Sasaki will return to rotation, not bullpen according Dave Roberts
• Konnor Griffin projected to make Pirates Opening Day roster by two analysts
• Alex Cora announces Caleb Durbin is Red Sox starting third baseman
• Joey Wentz is out for the season with a torn ACL for the Braves
• Reds’ Hunter Greene to be out until July amid brutal injury news
• Braves predicted to trade Bryce Elder for Lars Nootbaar