The Philadelphia Phillies added another weapon to their starting rotation, selecting pitcher Jesús Luzardo in a trade with the Miami Marlins, the team announcement Sunday.
Philadelphia also receives minor league catcher Paul McIntosh in the trade. In return, the Marlins receive 19-year-old Starlyn Caba, a shortstop prospect in the upper end of the Phillies’ system, and Emaarion Boyd, an outfielder who played High-A ball in 2024.
To complete the trade, Philadelphia also designated left-handed pitcher Tyler Gilbert to make room for Luzardo on the team’s 40-man roster.
Luzardo has only started 12 games this season due to a series of injuries: the left-handed starter missed time at the start of the season with tightness in the elbow, and was placed on IL in June due to a back injury that ultimately sidelined him for the remainder of the season.
In that short span, Luzardo recorded 58 strikeouts, with a 5.00 ERA and 1.25 WHIP.
Luzardo began his career with the Oakland A’s, making his debut in 2019. The Peruvian pitcher was traded to the Marlins in 2021.
In three and a half seasons in Miami, Luzardo started 74 games for the Marlins. Although he has been hampered by injuries throughout his time in Miami, Luzardo’s 2023 season proves what he can do when healthy: during this year, he started in 32 games and recorded a 3.58 ERA and 1.21 WHIP.
Caba was signed by the Phillies in 2023 at the age of 17. He played in the Dominican Summer League that year, then in 2024 he moved up to A-ball after spending half the season in the Florida Coast League. He is No. 4 on MLB.com’s list of top Phillies prospects and No. 5 in the Phillies system according to Baseball Prospectus.
While a starting pitcher may not have been an obvious addition for the Phillies, it appears they want to shore up the back end of their starting rotation. This trade allows them to trade Taijuan Walker, their No. 5 starter, who has faced significant consistency issues in his two years with the team. If Luzardo can get close to the numbers from his 2022 season, he will be a solid upgrade for a rotation that includes Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola.
The Phillies have done all their off-season shopping (at least so far) in the “slightly damaged” aisle of the grocery store. In early December, they signed reliever Jordan Romano, who had been one of the best relievers in the game before an elbow injury hampered his 2024 season, to a one-year contract worth $8.5 million. Last week, they signed former longtime Minnesota Twins outfielder Max Kepler to a one-year deal worth $10 million. Kepler suffered from left patellar tendinitis and a hip problem in 2024, as well as a core muscle problem that he had surgically repaired in recent months.
Now the Phils face Luzardo, whose 2024 has also been heavily impacted by injuries. The Phillies apparently have confidence that they can get the most out of Luzardo (as well as Romano and Kepler) despite their injuries.
