Jesús Luzardo
While he's not exactly an internal option, Jesús Luzardo could prove to be one of the best moves Dave Dombrowski has made since becoming the Phillies president of baseball operations in December 2020. Luzardo, who was acquired from the Miami Marlins in December in exchange for prospects Emaarion Boyd and Starlyn Caba, joins a rotation that was recently ranked as the second-best in the league, and while he's projected to be the team's No. 5 starter, his upside is off the charts.
Luzardo broke onto the scene in 2022 despite making just 18 starts, posting a 3.32 ERA with 120 strikeouts in 100 1/3 innings. He followed that up with a stellar 2023 campaign, where he finished 12th overall in strikeouts with 208 in 178 2/3 innings and was named as the Game 1 starter for the Wild Card series against the Phillies.
These two seasons made people start to believe that he could be a sleeper for the Cy Young in 2024, but his season ended before it really began, as he was placed on the 15-day injured list at the end of April with left elbow tightness, and then again in the middle of June with a lumber stress reaction.
Now, the former No. 12 overall prospect in 2020 feels "100 percent" and is poised for a bounce-back campaign. The 27-year-old left-hander relies on a five-pitch mix which consists of a four-seam fastball that sits around 95 mph, a sinker, changeup, curveball and a wipeout slider. The slider is by far his best pitch, as opponents whiffed on it 51.8 percent of the time in 2023, leading to 106 strikeouts, while opponents hit just .200 against the pitch last season.
Luzardo has also been an "NL East killer" since the calendar turned to 2022. He has a 3.63 ERA and 43 strikeouts against the Atlanta Braves in 32 2/3 innings, a 3.60 ERA and 35 strikeouts against the New York Mets in 25 innings and a 2.74 ERA and 20 strikeouts against the Washington Nationals in 23 innings. This is a complete 180 from the production that the Phillies got from last year's No. 5 starter, Taijuan Walker, who had a 4.78 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 32 innings against the division last year.
His presence also helps deepen this loaded Phillies staff. With the addition of Andrew Painter in the near future, the Phillies may opt to go with a six-man rotation, which could help keep some starters, like Ranger Suárez, who's suffered four injuries in the last three years, fresh for the postseason.