The Phillies are buying left-hander Jesus Luzardo from the Marlins, in response to a report from Robert Murray of Fansided. In line with Craig Mish of the Miami Herald, the Marlins will obtain shortstop prospect Starlyn Caba and outfield prospect Emaarion Boyd within the deal. Matt Gelb of The Athletic provides that the Phillies are receiving minor league catcher Paul McIntosh within the deal alongside Luzardo.
Luzardo, 27, is coming off one thing of a misplaced season however was among the many most coveted starters out there on the commerce market as not too long ago as final winter. The southpaw made simply 12 begins in 2024 as a consequence of a lumbar stress response and struggled when he was wholesome with a 5.00 ERA (91 ERA+) in 66 2/3 innings of labor. Whereas Luzardo maintained a strong eight % stroll charge, his 21.2 % strikeout charge was far under his profession norm and his fastball velocity was down from the place it was in 2023.
Even with these warts, nonetheless, it’s straightforward to see why Luzardo could be a gorgeous addition to the rotation for the Phillies. In 279 innings of labor for the Marlins between 2022-23, Luzardo dominated to the tune of a 3.48 ERA (129 ERA+) with a 3.40 FIP. His 96.7 mph common fastball velocity was close to the highest of the size for left-handed beginning pitchers, and his 28.7% strikeout charge ranked eighth amongst starters with at the very least 250 innings of labor in that point, sandwiched between Dylan Stop and Shane McClanahan.
Whereas there’s no assure Luzardo will be capable of recapture that ace-level manufacturing he flashed previous to his injured 2024 season, the Phillies received’t have to depend on him for front-end manufacturing. As a substitute, Luzardo joins an extremely deep Phillies rotation that already options Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Ranger Suarez, and Cristopher Sanchez. If the southpaw merely pitches to the peripherals (4.23 FIP, 4.33 SIERA) he posted throughout his injury-marred 2024 marketing campaign he’d be a noticeable improve over Taijuan Walker, who pitched to an unsightly 7.10 ERA in 83 2/3 innings of labor this previous season.
The Phillies have been recognized to have curiosity in including rotation assist this winter, although that was typically anticipated to return within the type of a depth piece who may pitch out of the bullpen or give Walker competitors for the fifth starter spot, not not like the membership’s signing of right-hander Spencer Turnbull final winter. The acquisition of a participant with Luzardo’s expertise and pedigree clearly goes properly past that and pushes Walker into a protracted aid position to open the season assuming the remainder of the rotation is wholesome.
Including Luzardo additionally eases the membership’s long-term want for rotation assist, as he’s below staff management for the following two seasons. With Suarez scheduled to hit free company following the 2025 season, it’s attainable that the addition of Luzardo permits the Phillies to depend on some mixture of Walker and prime prospect Andrew Painter to spherical out their 2026 rotation. That will push the necessity for an extra starter off to the 2026-27 offseason, at which level each Walker and Luzardo will probably be eligible free of charge company.
For now, Luzardo is a cost-controlled addition to the Phillies’ rotation who figures to boost the group’s already spectacular ceiling significantly. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz initiatives Luzardo for an arbitration wage of simply $6M in 2025, a determine that pushes the Phillies’ payroll to the $285M vary and their luxurious tax payroll as much as $304M per RosterResource. Notably, that pushes them previous the best $301M tax threshold for subsequent season, at which level the membership is taxed at a 110% charge on any overages past $301M along with their highest choose within the 2026 draft being pushed again 10 spots.
By way of the precise monetary price, then, bringing Luzardo into the fold figures to price the Phillies one thing nearer to $10.5M between the southpaw’s wage and the tax invoice that comes with it. It’s an unprecedented degree of spending for the Phillies, and it’s not clear how way more room the membership must manuever because it seeks to make additional upgrades. Maybe that’s why president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski recommended the membership was unlikely to make additional main additions, with a swingman for the pitching workers and a bench piece for the lineup highlighted because the membership’s remaining priorities. The addition of Luzardo probably eliminates the necessity for a swingman by pushing Walker into that position.
For the Marlins, the prize on this deal is Caba. Ranked as MLB Pipeline’sNo. 81 prospect within the recreation and No. 54 at Baseball America, Caba simply celebrated his nineteenth birthday on Dec. 6 and regarded strong in complicated league play this yr with a .254/.427/.335 slash line. Whereas he provided little energy, he walked greater than he struck out and stole 37 bases in 45 makes an attempt throughout 225 plate appearances on the degree. Caba was promoted to Single-A down the stretch and struggled with a .179/.304/.190 slash line in 115 journeys to the plate, although he nonetheless recorded extra walks (16) than strikeouts (15). Whereas he’s roundly projected for below-average energy by prospecting companies, he’s thought to be having the potential to be a particular defender at shortstop and his spectacular knack for plate self-discipline ought to give him a strong offensive flooring.
Boyd, in the meantime, was the Phillies’ Eleventh-round choose within the 2022 draft. The 21-year-old hit simply .239/.317/.331 in 400 journeys to the plate on the Excessive-A degree in 2024, although he’s stolen 83 bases over the previous two seasons as a consequence of elite pace and is thought to be a doubtlessly plus defender in heart subject as a consequence of his wheels. That was sufficient to make him the No. 23 prospect within the Phillies group, in response to Pipeline. That stated, Boyd presently gives minimal energy and has a under common hit software, although his contact-heavy strategy and potential to develop into somewhat extra energy as he bodily matures is sufficient to maintain him on the radar as a possible huge league contributor.
Additionally within the deal is McIntosh, who joins Luzardo in heading from Miami to Philadelphia. The 26-year-old isn’t thought-about to be a lot of a prospect, having been chosen by the Marlins within the thirty fourth spherical of the 2018 draft. He slashed .246/.340/.385 in 117 video games with the Marlins’ Double-A affiliate in Pensacola this previous season. For the Phillies, McIntosh ought to provide a strong glove-first choice behind the plate to assist information the membership’s younger pitchers within the higher minors and maybe present some depth behind the membership’s huge league catching corps.
