Starting pitching has been perhaps the most expensive market in all of Major League Baseball in recent years. The winter preceding the 2025 season has been no exception.
When the Philadelphia Phillies moved to acquire Jesús Luzardo, the front office found an affordable, team-friendly deal that helped improve depth at the position.
Given the price of free agent pitchers and available trade targets, it appears that the Phillies made the most of the market for starting pitching with their most recent trade.
Phillies’ trade to bolster starting rotation looks like shrewd move after Corbin Burnes' deal with D-backs
After seeing pitchers like Max Fried and Blake Snell sign for big money and missing on Garrett Crochet, Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski and company moved to acquire a cheaper and retainable pitcher in Luzarado.
More recently, the top free agent pitcher remaining on the market, former 2021 Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes signed a $210 million deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Burnes actually left money on the table in favor of an opt-out after two years and to stay closer to home.
As top-tier starters start to fall off the table, the price for impact rotation pieces will only increase.
Pitchers such as Jack Flaherty and Nick Pivetta are leading the way for lucrative deals on the free agent market. With Burnes signing, they have become more valuable to teams looking to compete in the starting pitching market.
The 23-year-old Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki is also highly coveted, but his financial options are limited due to his age and the international signing rules.
After those three players, the options for impact rotation pieces drop off pretty drastically. Most of the remaining pitchers are back-end of the rotation parts or aging or injured veterans.
There are still some teams that can afford to move pitchers like the Seattle Mariners and Luis Castillo, however, they are not in rush to move him or any of their other stud starters unless an enticing offer presents itself.
While giving up a top five prospect in Starlyn Caba may seem steep, the Phillies made a solid move to improve an already strong part of their club. The former Miami Marlins' left-hander has proven to be a solid starter when healthy. It also doesn't hurt that Luzardo is making just $8.6 million in 2025 and is still under arbitration in 2026. Al of these factors make his acquisition extremely valuable in this present market.