After all this time, the Philadelphia Phillies finally made their biggest splash this offseason. It wasn’t with a big free agent signing this time though, but instead a trade out of nowhere for promising left-hander Jesús Luzardo of the Miami Marlins. Philadelphia also got an add-on piece as well in minor league catcher/outfielder Paul McIntosh. In exchange, the Phillies sent top prospects Starlyn Caba and Emaarion Boyd to the Marlins.
So with the Phillies' biggest move this offseason by far, how well did they do with the acquisition of Luzardo?
Phillies' trade for Jesús Luzardo might be the steal of the offseason
With the uncertainty of whether Ranger Suárez will remain a Phillie when spring training rolls around, along with doubts about whether Taijuan Walker can regain his form before the start of the 2025 season, it made total sense for the Phillies to look for some back-end of the rotation help. Now with the big addition of Luzardo, they may have found more than just an insurance solution to their rotation.
After all, Luzardo was coming off his two strongest campaigns prior to heading into the 2024 season. In 2022, he posted a stellar 3.32 ERA and 1.04 WHIP, along with 120 strikeouts in 100 1/3 innings pitched over 18 starts. In 2023, Luzardo posted a career-high in wins with 10 and strikeouts with 208, along with a 3.58 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in 178 2/3 innings of work over 32 starts. Taking a look at his advanced Statcast metrics, his fastball velocity, whiff and strikeout rates all ranked above the 85th percentile in both of those seasons.
Some may point out that Luzardo’s numbers from last season were way below his usual standards, but it was in large part due to injury woes that he encountered throughout the year. But even with his struggles, he still managed a whiff rate in the 80th percentile and a fastball velocity in the 67th percentile at 95.1 mph, showing that his foundation was still solid despite his ailments.
Luzardo isn’t just your typical solid back end of the rotation piece. He was well on his way to forming a three-headed monster with Sandy Alcántara and Braxton Garrett in the Marlins’ starting five that could terrorize the opposition at will. In fact, at just 27 years old and heading into his prime, Luzardo has ace-like potential and could easily slot in as a front-end rotation piece for the Phillies. But of course, with Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola already in place, the Phillies will have the luxury of having a potential No. 1 pitcher in their No. 3 slot or below.
If just Luzardo wasn’t enough, the Phillies managed to also grab a promising depth piece in McIntosh. Last season, playing for the Marlins’ Double-A affiliate Pensacola, he batted .246 with a .725 OPS, along with 50 runs scored, 18 doubles, 12 home runs and 55 RBI in 117 games played. Most importantly, the ability to play catcher as well gives the Phillies some more added organizational depth in an area that they significantly lack heading into the 2025 season.
As for the pieces going back to the Marlins, Caba was the Phillies No. 4 prospect in the organization, while Boyd was their No. 23 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline. Caba showed some mixed results in 2024. The 19-year-old shortstop began strong with the FCL Phillies, where he posted a solid .254 average and .762 OPS, with 44 runs scored, two home runs, 17 RBI and 37 stolen bases in just 52 games.
However, after getting a promotion to Single-A Clearwater, Caba struggled to a .179 average and .494 OPS, with just 13 runs scored, nine RBI and 13 stolen bases in 26 games played. At just 19 years old, there’s no doubt he still has the potential if given the time to grow his game. But with Caba likely needing a few more years of development and the Phillies currently in win-now mode, the decision became simple for Philadelphia.
Boyd, a 21-year-old outfielder, showed some promise with the Phillies’ High-A affiliate Jersey Shore this past season by compiling a .239 average and .647 OPS, with 52 runs scored, three home runs, 40 RBI and 27 stolen bases in 96 games. But with the Phillies having more elite versions that profile similar to Boyd in Justin Crawford and Gabriel Rincones Jr., who are both ahead of him in the pecking order, they could afford to sacrifice Boyd to get the deal done.
Other than some slight worry from the injury history of Luzardo last season, which Philadelphia hopes will become a thing of the past, this trade is easily a big win for the Phillies. They have added a legitimate, difference-making piece to their already dominant rotation. And to not lose any of Aidan Miller, Andrew Painter and Justin Crawford in the deal is big-time robbery on Philadelphia’s part. For that, they deserve a grade of A.
Jesús Luzardo trade grade: A