The Marlins are getting calls on starter Jesús Luzardo, reviews Jon Morosi of the MLB Community (X hyperlink). Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of the Athletic write that the Fish are keen to entertain commerce talks on the proficient southpaw.
On the one hand, a staff in a full rebuild like Miami goes to be open to discussing primarily each veteran participant. Luzardo is a troublesome commerce candidate, although, because the Marlins are purchasing him whereas his worth is at a low level. His ’24 marketing campaign was kind of decimated by damage. Luzardo went on the injured listing in the course of April with elbow irritation. He returned in Might however was shelved once more 5 weeks later by again points. That not solely took him off the desk as a deadline commerce candidate, it ended his season. Luzardo was recognized with a stress response in his decrease again and couldn’t return to the mound.
Neither damage required surgical procedure and Luzardo was in a position to start non-throwing baseball actions by the tip of the common season. There’s no indication he received’t be full go for Spring Coaching. Nonetheless, there’s little doubt that buying groups are going to account for the damage threat as they weigh what to supply Miami.
Luzardo has spent numerous time on the IL over his profession. He fractured his throwing hand in 2021 and misplaced an excellent portion of the ’22 season to a forearm pressure. He additionally has a Tommy John surgical procedure on his medical chart courting again to highschool in 2016. He has solely topped 100 1/3 innings in an MLB season as soon as.
That lone wholesome marketing campaign provided tantalizing upside. Luzardo took a full 32 turns by means of the rotation in 2023. He fired 178 2/3 frames of three.58 ERA ball whereas punching out 28.1% of opposing hitters. He averaged almost 97 MPH on his fastball, missed bats with each his slider and changeup, and restricted his walks to a strong 7.4% clip.
That model of Luzardo was a #2 or high-end #3 starter, the sort of pitcher a staff would fortunately plug into their playoff rotation. Luzardo didn’t present that type final yr even when he was in a position to take the mound. He allowed 5 earned runs per 9 with a diminished 21.2% strikeout charge in 66 2/3 frames. He nonetheless posted plus whiff charges on his secondary pitches, however his common fastball velocity dipped to 95.2 MPH and opponents teed off on it.
There’s apparent enchantment for contenders to aim to purchase low. Luzardo is underneath arbitration management for 2 seasons. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz tasks him for a $6MM wage. That’s a cut price compared to a free agent market the place a rebound candidate like Frankie Montas signed for $17MM yearly and mid-rotation arms Yusei Kikuchi and Luis Severino landed greater than $20MM per season on three-year offers.
Miami doesn’t have as a lot urgency to make a sell-low commerce. Luzardo received’t make the distinction between them contending for a postseason spot or not, however a robust first half might rehabilitate his worth. If he demonstrates his 2023 type for 3 months, Luzardo would arguably be the largest commerce chip of the ’25 deadline. In one of the best case state of affairs, Miami might realistically search a number of Prime 100 sort prospects subsequent summer time. If he struggles or suffers one other important damage, in fact, no matter commerce worth he at present has would mainly evaporate.
It’s largely a matter of threat tolerance for president of baseball operations Peter Bendix and his workers. The Fish have little or no on the books for subsequent season, so that they’re not underneath any monetary strain to maneuver Luzardo. He’ll be the highest-paid member of their in any other case modest arbitration class. They’re nonetheless on the hook for $17MM (together with an possibility buyout) to launched outfielder AvisaÃl GarcÃa. The one different participant on a assured deal is ace Sandy Alcantara, who’ll make $17MM subsequent yr. The Marlins reportedly knowledgeable Alcantara in August that that they had no intention of buying and selling him this offseason.
