The Philadelphia Phillies have acquired LHP Jesus Luzard from the Miami Marlins in exchange for a pair of prospects on Sunday.
Philadelphia will send SS Starlyn Caba and OF Emaarion Boyd to the Marlins in exchange for the lefty hurler. The 19 and 21 year olds are both still a ways away from competing at the Major League level, as Caba suited up for just 26 games for Single-A Clearwater in 2024, while Boyd spent time with High-A Jersey Shore last season.
To complete the deal, Philadelphia will reportedly also receive minor league catcher Paul McIntosh. The move is a relatively low-risk, high-reward move for the Phillies, who could be getting Luzardo at a discount after an uneven 2024 campaign yielded a 3-6 record, and 5.00 ERA across 66.2 IP.
The former Marlin’s season was also cut short in June after it was announced that he suffered a lumbar stress reaction. Despite trying to rehab the injury, Miami ultimately shut him down in August to give him additional time to recover in the offseason.
Philadelphia’s front office is likely banking on the 27 year old returning to the form he displayed in 2023 where he recorded 208 strikeouts across 178.2IP with a 3.58 ERA. The upside is certainly tantalizing if Luzardo can get back to full health, as he would join a solid starting rotation which already features Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, and Ranger Suarez amongst others.
Rob Thomson and company will also like the fact that Luzardo brings 2 additional seasons of team control. The Peruvian lefty earned $5.5M in 2024, though he’s expected to command a pay raise in arbitration for the 2025 campaign.
Philadelphia’s rotation finished outside the top 10 in several statistical categories in 2024 including ERA (3.85), opponent batting average (.243), and earned runs (617). If Luzardo can give them a solid 150+ innings in 2025, the Phillies could once again be competing for a trip to the World Series in the fall.
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