The Phillies are doubling down on their rotation after pursuing lineup changes failed. The team announced Sunday that it has acquired left-hander Jesus Luzardo from the Miami Marlins. With the acquisition of Luzardo, the Phillies could form one of the best rotations in baseball next season.
Luzardo will be fifth in the initial rotation behind Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Christopher Sanchez and Ranger Suarez. The Phillies expect top prospect Andrew Painter to contribute to the major league team later in the summer. This is a deep unit.
Miami will headline its return in 19-year-old shortstop Starlin Kaba, who is considered one of the more promising shortstops in the Phillies organization. Speedy A-ball outfielder Emarion Boyd is also part of the package.
In addition to Luzardo, the Phillies are expected to acquire minor league catcher Paul McIntosh, 27, from the Marlins.
Luzardo, 27, has a career ERA of 4.29. He had his best season with Miami in 2023, pitching 178 2/3 innings with a 3.58 ERA and 208 strikeouts. But he comes to the Phillies with some red flags. Luzardo only started 12 games in 2024. He did not appear on the pitch after June 13th. He was sidelined with left elbow tightness and later suffered a stress reaction in his lower back, ending his season.
His acquisition follows an offseason trend by the Phillies to prioritize players whose seasons were derailed by injury in 2024. They are counting on the recovery of Luzardo, reliever Jordan Romano and outfielder Max Kepler.
The Marlins acquired Luzardo in a fire sale last summer, but the team held back given his uncertain health status. He has been the subject of trade rumors all offseason.
“I was able to do the normal offseason progression of throwing, running and starting to get off the mound,” Luzardo told MLB.com last week. “My elbows, my back, my whole body feels really good and I’m really gearing up for spring training and aiming to be 100 percent at full strength for Opening Day. Everything feels really good so far. , we’re full.” – Go. “
Luzardo has two years remaining in control of the club. He is expected to earn approximately $6 million in 2025 through salary arbitration, according to MLB Trade Rumors. He will help the Phillies build a strong rotation in 2025 and make up for the potential loss of Suarez, who will be a free agent after next season, in 2026. This would allow the Phillies to avoid the high free agent starting pitching market and free up 2026 salary resources for other needs.
With the addition of Luzardo, the Phillies will be able to make up for the rotation by replacing Suarez with a batter this winter, but there are signs that they will be leaning toward preventing runs. They signed Kepler to a one-year, $10 million contract last week as a left fielder. It remains to be seen whether he will rebound at the plate, but the Phillies expect him to be an above-average defender.
The Phillies can create a buffer by retaining all five projected starting pitchers. They will be in a good position to deal with an injury to one of their deep rotation pitchers. And even if Luzardo or Suarez hit a wall over the summer, the Phillies will be able to manage some innings.
Suarez could be a candidate to move to the bullpen sometime in the summer when Painter is ready and if all the starting pitchers can stay healthy.
The Phillies have not yet disclosed their plans for the 21-year-old Painter, but team officials say they plan on slowing down Painter’s season. He could play between 80 and 110 innings in 2025 (his first full season after Tommy John surgery), and the club hopes he can play in the following months.
The Phillies have signed Taijuan Walker to an additional two-year, $36 million contract. Walker participated in a velocity training program this offseason, and the Phillies intend to have him in spring training. It’s going to be messy. But the best-case scenario for both sides is that Walker develops and pitches well enough in Grapefruit League games that other clubs are interested, and the Phillies eat up most of their money in a trade in March. He’s not a complete sunk cost for the Phillies — at least not yet. If things don’t go well in the spring, the Phillies could release Walker.
The price of acquiring Luzardo was not small. The Phillies liked Kaba and signed him in 2023 with a $3 million bonus. He is an undersized but skilled shortstop with a chance to become a regular in the big leagues within a few years. Kaba, a teenager playing in the United States for the first time, had more walks (67) than strikeouts (49) last season. Boyd, another big-money signing as an 11th-round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, hit .239/.317/.331 in 400 at-bats at High-A Jersey Shore in 2024. The 21-year-old has excellent athletic ability. Possesses excellent bat and ball skills.
However, the Phillies are currently trying to balance winning with retaining many of their top prospects and feel this path was the best combination to do so. The Phillies will pass the luxury tax threshold of $301 million, making them the second-highest payroll in Major League Baseball. So Luzardo will likely be the finishing touch to a tough offseason.
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(Photo: Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images)
