Phillies Acquire Jesus Luzardo – MLB Trade Rumors

Phillies acquire left-hander Jesus Luzardo from the Marlins, according to a report from Robert Murray of Fansided. According to Craig Mish of the Miami Heraldwill the Marlins receive shortstop prospect Starlyn Caba and field view Emmarion Boyd in the trade. Matt Gelb of The Athletic adds Phillies receive minor league catcher Paul McIntosh in the trade together with Luzardo. The teams have since announced the trade.

Luzardo, 27, is coming off something of a lost season but was among the most coveted starters on the market as recently as last winter. The southpaw made just 12 starts in 2024 due to a lumbar stress reaction and struggled when healthy enough to take the mound with a 5.00 ERA (91 ERA+) in 66 2/3 innings of work. While Luzardo maintained a solid 8% walk rate, his 21.2% strikeout rate was well below his career norms and his fastball velocity was more than a notch below where it was in 2023.

Even with those warts, though, it’s easy to see why Luzardo would be an attractive addition to the rotation for the Phillies. In 279 innings of work for the Marlins between 2022 and ’23, Luzardo dominated to the tune of a 3.48 ERA (129 ERA+) with a 3.40 FIP. His 96.7 mph average fastball velocity was near the top of the scale for left-handed starting pitchers, and his 28.7% strikeout rate was eighth among starters with at least 250 innings of work in that time, sandwiched between Dylan Hold up and Shane McClanahan.

While there’s no guarantee Luzardo will be able to recapture the ace-level production he flashed before his injury-plagued 2024 season, the Phillies don’t need to rely on him for front-end production. Instead, Luzardo joins an incredibly deep Phillies rotation already pitching Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Rank Suárezand Christopher Sanchez. Even a fully healthy and effective Luzardo would slot in as the #2 starter in that rotation between Wheeler and Nola, and even if the southpaw merely hits to the periphery (4.23 FIP, 4.33 SIERA) he posted during his injury-plagued 2024 campaign, would be a noticeable upgrade over Taijuan Walkerwho pitched to an ugly 7.10 ERA in 83 2/3 innings of work this past season.

The Phillies have been known to have interest in adding rotation help this winter, though it was generally expected to come in the form of a depth piece who could pitch out of the bullpen or give Walker competition for the fifth starting spot, not unlike the club’s. signing of the right hand Spencer Turnbull last winter. The acquisition of a player of Luzardo’s talent and pedigree obviously goes far beyond that, and certainly pushes Walker into a long relief role to open the season, assuming the rest of the rotation is healthy.

The addition of Luzardo also eases the club’s long-term need for rotation help, as he is under team control for the next two seasons. With Suarez scheduled to hit free agency after the 2025 season, it’s possible that the addition of Luzardo allows the Phillies to rely on a combination of Walker and top prospect Andrew Painter to round out their 2026 rotation. That would push the need for an extra starter until the 2026-27 offseason, at which point both Walker and Luzardo themselves will be eligible for free agency.

For now, though, Luzardo is a cost-controlled addition to the Phillies’ rotation that figures to significantly raise the group’s already impressive ceiling. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects Luzardo for an arbitration salary of just $6MM in 2025, a number that pushes the Phillies’ payroll into the $285MM range and their luxury tax salary up to $304MM per year. RosterResource. Notably, it pushes them past the top tax threshold of $301MM for next season, after which the club is taxed at a 110% rate on any excesses beyond $301MM, in addition to their top pick in the 2026 draft being pushed back ten spots.

As for the actual financial cost, Luzardo brings into the fold the numbers to cost the Phillies something closer to $10.5 million between the southpaw’s salary and the tax bill that comes with it. It’s an unprecedented level of spending for the Phillies, and it’s not clear how much more room the club will have to maneuver as it looks to make additional upgrades. Perhaps that’s why president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski suggested the club was unlikely to make any further major additions earlier this week, with a swingman for the pitching staff and a bench for the lineup highlighted as the club’s remaining priorities. The addition of Luzardo likely eliminates the need for a swingman by pushing Walker into that role, of course.

For the Marlins, the prize in this deal is Caba. Ranked as MLB Pipeline’s #81 prospect in the game and #54 at Baseball AmericaCaba just celebrated his 19th birthday earlier this month and has looked solid in complex league play this year with a slash line of .254/.427/.335. While he offered little power, he walked more than he struck out, stealing 37 bases in 45 attempts across 225 plate appearances at the level. Promoted to Single-A down the stretch, Caba struggled badly with a .179/.304/.190 slash line in 115 trips to the plate, though he still recorded more walks (16) than strikeouts (15). While he’s clearly expected to have below-average power by prospecting services, he’s considered to have the potential to be a special defender at shortstop, and his impressive plate discipline should give him a solid offensive floor.

Boyd, meanwhile, was the Phillies’ 11th-round pick in the 2022 draft. The 21-year-old hit just .239/.317/.331 in 400 trips to the plate at the High-A level in 2024, though he has stolen 83 bases over the past two seasons due to elite speed and is considered a potential plus defender in center field due to his wheel. It was enough to make him the #23 prospect in the Phillies organization, according to Pipeline. That said, Boyd currently offers minimal power and has a below-average hit tool, though his contact-heavy approach and potential to grow into a bit more power as he physically matures is enough to keep him on the radar as a potential contributor in the big league.

Also included in the deal is McIntosh, who will join Luzardo on his way from Miami to Philadelphia. The 26-year-old was not considered a high-profile prospect when he was selected by the Marlins in the 34th round of the 2018 draft. He slashed .246/.340/.385 in 117 games with the Marlins’ Double-A affiliate in Pensacola this past season. For the Phillies, McIntosh should provide a solid glove-first option behind the plate to help guide the club’s young pitchers in the upper minors and perhaps provide some depth behind the club’s big league catching corps.