The Phillies just landed one of baseball’s most exciting young pitchers, grabbing Jesus Luzardo from the Miami Marlins in a surprise Sunday trade.
The 27-year-old lefty is heading to Philadelphia in exchange for two promising prospects – 19-year-old shortstop Starlyn Caba and 21-year-old outfielder Emaarion Boyd. The Marlins are also throwing in catcher Paul McIntosh to sweeten the deal.
Luzardo’s got the kind of stuff that makes hitters look silly. When he’s on his game, he fires mid-90s fastballs and has two absolutely nasty pitches – a wipeout slider and a changeup that keeps batters guessing.
The 2023 season showed just what Luzardo can do when he’s healthy. He put up some impressive numbers: 178 â…” innings with a solid 3.58 ERA, striking out more than 28% of the batters he faced.
But there’s a catch. Injuries have been Luzardo’s biggest enemy throughout his career. He’s already had Tommy John surgery once, back in 2016, and he’s dealt with various arm and back issues since then. Last year, he only managed 66 â…” innings while battling elbow problems.
The Phillies’ rotation is looking pretty stacked now. Here’s how it shapes up:
– Zack Wheeler
– Aaron Nola
– Jesus Luzardo
– Cristopher Sánchez
– Ranger Suárez
– Taijuan Walker
There’s even more help on the horizon. Former top prospect Andrew Painter could make his big-league debut this summer, two years after his own Tommy John surgery.
For the Marlins, this is just the latest move in what’s becoming a full-blown fire sale. Their new president of baseball operations, Peter Bendix, has been busy since taking over in November, trading away stars like Luis Arraez, Jazz Chisholm Jr., and several others.
The prospects Miami’s getting back look promising. Caba, ranked as baseball’s No. 84 prospect, is known for his speed and contact hitting – he struck out less than 50 times in 78 games last year. Boyd’s been developing some pop in his bat, though he’s still mainly a get-on-base type player.
It’s quite a fall for Miami, who made the playoffs in 2023 as a wild-card team. Now, less than two years later, they’re starting over again after a brutal 62-100 season – one of the worst in team history.
And they might not be done dealing. There’s already buzz that ace Sandy Alcantara could be the next to go once he proves he’s healthy after his Tommy John surgery.
