The Phillies are sending shortstop prospect Starlyn Caba and outfielder Emaarion Boyd to Miami, according to a source.
What's a team to do when it's unable to meaningfully improve its lineup?
Load up on pitching, of course.
The Phillies took a big step in the latter direction Sunday, trading for lefty Jesús Luzardo and double-A catcher Paul McIntosh from the Marlins for 19-year-old shortstop prospect Starlyn Caba and minor league outfielder Emaarion Boyd, two league sources confirmed.
Luzardo, 27, is expected to slot into the back end of the rotation but has top-of-the-rotation upside if he's able to stay healthy. He had a 3.58 ERA in 178⅔ innings over 32 starts two seasons ago before struggling last season to a 5.00 ERA in only 12 starts and being short-circuited in June, first by elbow soreness and later a stress reaction in his back.
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"The only issue is health for Jesús," a rival talent evaluator said, "but he can pitch like a [No.] 1 or 2 on any given outing. The best is yet to come for him."
Pitching for a contending team should help Luzardo, the evaluator said. It isn't a coincidence that Luzardo's solid season in 2023 came for a wild-card Marlins team.
Luzardo comes with two seasons of team control. He's eligible for arbitration and projected to make $6 million in 2025, according to MLB Trade Rumors, and could eventually help the Phillies replace Ranger Suárez, who can be a free agent after next season.
In the meantime, Luzardo will join a rotation that is led by Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola. He joins fellow lefties Cristopher Sánchez and Suárez in rounding out the starting staff, which is now the deepest, if not the best in the National League.
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And that's before top prospect Andrew Painter arrives. Painter is expected to make his hotly anticipated major-league debut at some point next season.