Swaddled comfortably beneath the tree of Phillies followers this 12 months was Jesús Luzardo, whom the membership acquired from the Miami Marlins on December 22 together with upper-level minor league catcher Paul McIntosh. In alternate, the Marlins obtained Prime 100 prospect and teenage leather-wizard Starlyn Caba, plus A-ball outfield prospect Emaarion Boyd.
The 27-year-old Luzardo, who’s below contract for the subsequent two years, has amassed a 4.29 profession ERA in 512 innings throughout components of six huge league seasons. He has been topic to fairly a little bit of profession turbulence since he was a highschool senior. He had Tommy John surgical procedure in March 2016; just a few months later, the Nationals drafted him within the third spherical. Then, after simply three begins within the Nationals group, he was traded to the Athletics, together with Blake Treinen, for Ryan Madson and Sean Doolittle. With Oakland, Luzardo grew into considered one of baseball’s prime handful of prospects and ranked sixth total firstly of the 2020 season; the shortened COVID marketing campaign turned his rookie commencement 12 months. When Luzardo acquired off to a rocky begin in 2021, the A’s put him within the bullpen, then traded him to Miami on the deadline for Starling Marte.
For components of the final three and a half years, Luzardo has been one of many higher lefty starters in baseball when wholesome, and he’s fourth amongst certified southpaws in strikeout-to-walk ratio since 2022. However constant well being has evaded him. Luzardo has exceeded 20 begins in a season solely as soon as in his whole profession. His accidents haven’t at all times been arm-related, however they nonetheless represented a priority for any group that was trying to purchase him. In 2024, he posted a career-low strikeout price (21.2%), albeit in simply 66 2/3 innings. He was shut down with elbow soreness early within the season, after which, again in June, he was shelved for the rest of the 12 months with a lumbar stress response in his again. The second harm probably impacted Luzardo’s commerce market on the deadline, which is probably a part of why Miami waited till after the season to deal him. 5 days earlier than the commerce, MLB.com’s Christina De Nicola reported that Luzardo is a “full go” for spring coaching.
Whereas Luzardo will instantly compete with Nick Castellanos for the mantle of “most enjoyable Phillies participant title to say with a Delaware County accent,” the place he slots into Philadelphia’s rotation is one other matter. The depth and high quality of the Phillies’ employees means Luzardo is arguably the membership’s fifth starter, regardless that he has front-end stuff. All of Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Ranger Suárez, and Cristopher Sánchez have gathered extra WAR than Luzardo throughout the final two seasons. Wholesome Luzardo has a fastball that sits 94-97 mph, and each his slider and changeup have generated plus swinging-strike charges all through his huge league profession, every hovering round 20% (the key league common is about 15% for each). He’s had just one spat of wildness in his whole profession (that 2021 season throughout which the A’s put him within the bullpen) — relationship all the way in which again to his highschool underclass days. He has the expertise of a no. 2 or 3 starter on an excellent group, however he hasn’t demonstrated the sturdiness of 1.
The Phillies’ rotation is stacked past these aforementioned hurlers. Taijuan Walker remains to be round, the newly signed Joe Ross has a lot of beginning expertise, prime prospect Andrew Painter is coming back from Tommy John (his innings will likely be backloaded in 2025), and Moisés Chace is a Prime 100 Prospect who would possibly kick the door down. Accidents will probably erode no matter beginning pitching surplus the Phillies (or any group) at present have on paper, and no less than one starter will fall off the roster every year for the subsequent a number of seasons. Suárez is in his contract 12 months, Luzardo and Walker have two years left, Wheeler three. They’ve the younger arms to make in-house replacements throughout that span with out dropping any high quality. Dave Dombrowski, Preston Mattingly, and firm have assembled a rotation with the high-end expertise to contend now and the depth to maintain it for a number of years to come back.
The Phillies had additionally fortified their upper-level catching depth with the acquisition of McIntosh. The 27-year-old has plus uncooked energy however isn’t an excellent defender. He has allowed stolen bases at an 83% success price in his minor league profession. Incumbent backup catcher and clubhouse mascot Garrett Stubbs is a profession .215/.294/.311 hitter who’s coming into his age-32 season. Fellow mask-wearing munchkin Rafael Marchán, who’s at present the third catcher on the Phillies’ 40-man roster, is an effective contact hitter and honest defender, however he has handled a number of accidents over the last three years and lacks any modicum of energy. The 5-foot-9 switch-hitter will flip 26 in February and is out of minor league choices. McIntosh and not too long ago signed Payton Henry, a 27-year-old bat-first minor leaguer who’s now on his fourth org in 4 years, each carry an offensive aspect that the Phillies have been missing from the backup catcher’s spot for a number of years. Their additions maybe sign that the Phils are no less than contemplating a little bit of a sea change behind J.T. Realmuto and would possibly permit these 4 to compete for a roster spot throughout camp and all through 2025.
In alternate the Marlins obtained 19-year-old shortstop Starlyn Caba and 21-year-old outfielder Emaarion Boyd. Caba has an opportunity to be the perfect shortstop defender in all of baseball at maturity. He’s an unbelievable athlete with ridiculous physique management, vary, and an enormous arm for a 5-foot-9 man. He’ll make the occasional overzealous throw that misses first base completely, however he’s in any other case an entire and sensational shortstop. Regardless of his age, he’s principally a lock to be a particular defensive participant at arguably a very powerful place on the sector.
Caba has additionally proven nice plate self-discipline and above-average contact means within the decrease minors. He’s a profession .252/.398/.304 hitter throughout two minor league seasons and spent the final six weeks of 2024 at Low-A Clearwater whereas he was nonetheless simply 18 years outdated. Caba has gathered many extra walks than strikeouts throughout that span and his granular contact knowledge (5% swinging strike price, 93% in-zone contact, 87% total) is phenomenal, particularly for such a younger switch-hitter. He doesn’t, nevertheless, have an enormous offensive ceiling. Caba is 4 inches shorter than Zach Neto and his bat pace is just honest. There isn’t going to be huge energy right here; actually, it’s probably Caba’s lack of energy will considerably dilute the efficiency of his OBP and make contact with abilities — he tends to maintain infielders busy. A profession much like that of Jose Iglesias is honest to hope for Caba, whereas Andrelton Simmons (who had a extra significant energy peak) appears like absolutely the ceiling. That’s an excellent prospect. Caba has existed towards the again of the Prime 100 checklist for the final 12 months and can proceed to rank there this offseason.
Boyd is much less a surefire prospect and extra of a flier. He signed out of a Mississippi highschool for simply shy of $650,000 again in 2022 and had a mean 2023 earlier than stumbling in 2024 as Excessive-A pitchers took benefit of his tendency to chase. Boyd is quick, lanky, and projectable, and he’s a implausible rotational athlete with above-average bat pace. He had thrilling early-career contact efficiency, however that has dipped nearer to common as he’s climbed into the mid-minors. A plus runner, Boyd lacks the texture and technical ability to play a reliable middle area proper now. He has largely performed left area regardless of wheels that allowed him to steal an inefficient 56 bases in 2023 — he was caught 18 instances. He’s uncooked on either side of the ball however toolsy sufficient to be thought-about a possible late-blooming prospect.
A lot of Miami’s worth on this return is tied up in Caba, which runs counter to its in any other case volume-driven commerce tendency to date below GM Peter Bendix. In many of the a number of seller-style trades the Fish have made since he was employed, they’ve gotten again a number of items. Nevertheless, Boyd is a such low-probability proposition that one would possibly think about this successfully a one-for-one swap: two years of Luzardo for a possible on a regular basis shortstop who is probably going nonetheless roughly a half decade away from establishing himself within the huge leagues. Whereas I like Caba as a prospect, that is maybe an underwhelming return for somebody of Luzardo’s expertise, however an inexpensive one for somebody of Luzardo’s precise manufacturing.