Revisiting the Marlins trading Jesus Luzardo to the Phillies for pennies on the dollar

The Miami Marlins traded Jesus Luzardo to the Phillies in December of 2024, and in hindsight, it was exactly the kind of move that makes you wonder what they were thinking.

The reasoning at the time was at least understandable. Jesus Luzardo had been limited to 12 starts in 2024 due to left elbow tightness and a lumbar stress reaction.

If you are Miami, you are looking at an injury-prone pitcher heading into a contract year on a team going absolutely nowhere, and you decide to cut bait and grab some prospects before his value drops further. That is a defensible thought process on paper.

It just did not work out that way.

Luzardo went 15-7 with a 3.92 ERA, a 2.90 FIP, and 216 strikeouts across 183 innings in his first season in Philadelphia. He finished seventh in NL Cy Young voting.

Jesus Luzardo vs the Marlins:

Jesus Luzardo sets a new career high in Ks in a season with 209. he's my playoff game 2 starter. I'd rather Ranger take the road start. pic.twitter.com/OLoTB4OxIb

— Absolutely Hammered (@ah_pod) September 24, 2025

Overall, Jesus Luzardo was one of the better pitchers in the National League. The Marlins watched all of that happen from the other side of the division after trading him for a glove-first shortstop who hit .222 in 51 games at Single-A.

That shortstop is Starlyn Caba, who is 20 years old and was the main piece coming back in the deal, along with outfielder Emaarion Boyd. Caba might be fine eventually. He is young and the Marlins clearly liked him. But right now, while Jesus Luzardo was finishing seventh in Cy Young voting, Caba was hitting .222 at Jupiter.

That is a tough visual.

The most frustrating part of the whole thing, if you are a Marlins fan, is that they did not even need to hold him long-term to get more value.

If they had kept Luzardo through the first half of 2025 and he performed anywhere close to what he actually did, he would have been one of the most coveted names before the July trade deadline.

They could have gotten a real return. Instead they sold in December before he threw a single pitch for them in that contract year, got pennies on the dollar, and watched him thrive in the same division.

The Marlins did a similar thing with Edward Cabrera this winter, so it is at least consistent. It is just not a particularly good strategy when the pitcher you moved turns into one of the better starters in the league.

Now Luzardo is heading into 2026 in a contract year with the Phillies, and there is genuine optimism about what he can do with a full healthy season under his belt.

Whether Philadelphia keeps Jesus Luzardo long-term remains to be seen, but that is their decision to make now. Miami gave it up for a 20-year-old with a low batting average in the Florida State League. Cool trade.

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