Phillies take care of Cristopher Sanchez after ridiculous All-Star snub

Drew Smith
July 13, 2025
Phillies
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The Phillies might not control who gets picked for the All-Star Game, but they sure as hell know how to take care of their own. After Cristopher Sanchez was passed over for the National League All-Star roster, despite posting a 2.59 ERA, a 7-2 record, and 116 strikeouts in 107.2 innings, the team wanted to make sure he didn’t walk away empty-handed.

According to The Athletic’s Matt Gelb, the Phillies are giving Sánchez a $50,000 bonus even though his contract only called for a payout if he actually made the All-Star team.

Phillies will pay Cristopher Sanchez a $50,000 All-Star Bonus

An update to The All-Star Situation: Gene Mato, Cristopher Sánchez's agent, disputes that MLB ever asked Sánchez to go.

"He is willing to pitch no matter what," Mato said.

Sánchez, by not being selected, misses out on $200k bonus. More @TheAthletic: https://t.co/hLX5g49uUd
— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) July 12, 2025

Forget that it’s only $50,000. It’s a classy move for a guy who’s been nails all year and arguably deserved better.

This wasn’t some fringe case either. Cristopher Sánchez has quietly been one of the best pitchers in the NL all season long and yet, he got leapfrogged by a pitcher with just five career MLB starts.

Naturally, the Phillies weren’t thrilled.

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To make things even murkier, reports floated that Sánchez had been “offered” a spot if he was willing to throw an inning in the game but his agent came out and shot that down quickly, saying there was no such offer and that Sánchez absolutely would’ve pitched if asked.

At the end of the day, $50K might be a drop in the bucket compared to the $2 million he’s earning this year, but this wasn’t about the money. It was about the message. The Phillies acknowledged their guy and have his back. That’s all that matters.

Now go out there Sunday and make the All-Star snub look even dumber. The Phillies will try to salvage the finale on Sunday with Sánchez on the mound facing former Phillie and current Padre Nick Pivetta (9-2, 3.07 ERA).

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