The Philadelphia Phillies are acquiring left-handed starting pitcher Jesus Luzardo from the Miami Marlins, according to multiple reports Sunday, in a trade that shakes up the National League East arms race.
Robert Murray of FanSided was first to report the deal.
The Philadelphia Phillies are acquiring Jesus Luzardo from the Miami Marlins, according to a source familiar with the deal.
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) December 22, 2024According to multiple reports, the Marlins will receive infielder Starlyn Caba and outfielder Emaarion Boyd. Craig Mish of the Miami Herald was first to report the return.
Marlins will receive Starlyn Caba and Emaarion Boyd for Luzardo per sources.
— Craig Mish (@CraigMish) December 22, 2024A lumbar stress reaction ended Luzardo's 2024 season in June. Prior to the injury, he was 3-6 with a 5.00 ERA in 12 starts.
In 2023, Luzardo went 10-10 with a 3.58 ERA in 32 starts as the Marlins clinched a surprising National League Wild Card berth.
According to Mish, the Marlins consider Caba the top catch in the deal. A switch-hitting shortstop, the 19-year-old Caba was ranked as the Phillies' number-4 prospect by MLB Pipeline.
Caba is considered the prize of the deal. Infielder who is near the top of the Phillies system. Also considered a top 100 prospect.
— Craig Mish (@CraigMish) December 22, 2024Boyd, 21, slashed .239/.317/.331 for advanced Class-A Jersey Shore in 2024, with 27 steals in 39 attempts.
The trade for Luzardo comes days after talks between the Marlins and Cubs reportedly "died."
Bruce Levine of 670-AM in Chicago, who reported talks between the Cubs and Marlins were "very hot for a long period of time," suggested Luzardo's medical history could have played a role in the discussions collapsing.
Luzardo's lumbar injury could have been a source of concern for the Cubs, but Levine suggested talks could have collapsed around physical concerns involving any of the players in the proposed talks.
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"My guess is somebody didn't like the physicals in one of the players," Levine said.
Now, Luzardo heads to a Phillies team looking to defend its National League East title against the always potent Atlanta Braves and a free-spending New York Mets team coming off its first NL Championship Series appearance since 2015.
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The Phillies' rotation already ran five-deep with right-handers Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola and Taijuan Walker joining lefties Christopher Sanchez and Ranger Suarez. Philadelphia's starters posted a 3.81 ERA in 2024, eighth in MLB.
Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports the Phillies might not be done tinkering with their rotation. "With Luzardo in the mix, the Phillies could trade from their rotation surplus this winter by flipping Suárez for a hitter," Gelb writes, "but indications are they will lean into run prevention.
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The Mets signed signed Frankie Montas and Clay Holmes to join a rotation that could lose veterans Sean Manaea and Jose Quintana to free agency; right-hander Luis Severino already signed with the Athletics.
Luzardo offers the Phillies two years of club control. He's projected to make approximately $6 million in 2025 through salary arbitration, according to MLB Trade Rumors.
The trade comes days after Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski strongly suggested he's not in the mix to sign free agent Roki Sasaki. With the Cubs-Marlins talks collapsing, it appears Dombrowski wasted little time seizing an opportunity to bolster his rotation another way.
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