Could the first-place New York Yankees swing a deal to upgrade their starting rotation as their injured ace Gerrit Cole is expected to be out until at least June?
Bleacher Report’s Tim Kelly has listed the Yankees among his six teams considered to be “ideal landing spots” to potentially trade for Miami Marlins starting pitcher Jesús Luzardo. The 26-year-old left-hander was Miami’s Opening Day starter but has struggled in his first four starts of the season, compiling an unsettling 7.65 ERA and 1.55 WHIP in 20 innings with 21 strikeouts.
“Luzardo has had an ugly start to the 2024 season, but the 26-year-old posted a 3.48 ERA and 3.40 FIP across 279 innings between the 2022 and 2023 campaigns,” Kelly wrote April 17 for Bleacher Report. “He may not be the right target for a team that’s hoping to acquire someone to pitch in the first game of a playoff series. But for a team that expects to play deep enough into October, he would be an excellent third or fourth option in a playoff rotation.”
Luzardo would slot nicely into the middle or back of the Yankees potential postseason rotation if Cole manages to return from his elbow injury this season. Luzardo, who finished 10-10 with a 3.58 ERA and 208 strikeouts in 32 starts last season, could slot alongside Nestor Cortes, Carlos Rodon, and Marcus Stroman as the Yankees five-man rotation with impressive young arms Clarke Schmidt and Luis Gil serving as added depth options.
At 13-6 atop the American League East, the Yankees lead MLB in wins and are fifth in team ERA at 3.11. Bleacher Report also listed the Houston Astros, Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Guardians, and San Diego Padres as ideal trade spots for Luzardo, who has two remaining years of arbitrations eligibility and won’t be a free agent until after the 2026 season.
“Pretty much every team in need of pitching figures to be in on Luzardo. It will just be a matter of who is willing to overpay a bit to land him,” Kelly wrote.
MLB Insiders Ranked Luzardo 28th-Best Starting Pitcher
In March before the start of this season, Luzardo was listed tied for 28th in The Athletic’s 2024 Aces Project ranking the top 50 starters in baseball based off analysis from MLB executives, analysts and scouts. Los Angeles Dodgers starter Bobby Miller and Max Scherzer of the Texas Rangers were tied with the same ranking placement at Luzardo.
Luzardo is making $5.5 million for the Marlins this season and is repped by agent Scott Boras. Tim Britton of The Athletic projected in a March article for The Athletic that Luzardo would end up signing a contract extension worth $90 million over six years.
At 4-15, the Marlins have gotten off to a poor start and could be sellers at this year’s trade deadline on July 30. Outside of Luzardo, the Marlins have a wealth of talented starting pitchers with high-prospect pedigree, though their 2022 Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcántara is out for all of 2024 as he recovers from Tommy John surgery. Other Marlins pitchers include Max Meyer, Sixto Sanchez, Edward Cabrera, Trevor Rogers, Ryan Weathers, and A.J. Puk.
Would the New York Yankees Consider Dealing Prospect Spencer Jones for Jesús Luzardo?
Earlier this month, Bleacher Report’s Zachary Rymer mocked a trade proposal that sends Luzardo to the Yankees in exchange for top prospects Spencer Jones, Roderick Arias and Everson Pereira going to the Marlins.
The Yankees have thus far been reluctant to deal Jones, a 22-year-old left-handed hitting outfielder currently in Double-A with impressive power and speed tools. MLB Pipeline ranked Jones as the league’s No. 77 overall prospect for 2024.
Jon Heyman reported this past offseason that the Yankees refused to part ways with Jones in trade discussions for top starting pitchers Corbin Burnes and Dylan Cease. MLB.com’s Yankees reporter Bryan Hoch recently mentioned the possibility of Jones skipping Triple-A and instead jumping from Double-A to the majors.
