Early Sunday morning, Robert Murray of FanSided reported that the Philadelphia Phillies are in agreement to acquire left-handed starter Jesús Luzardo from the Miami Marlins. According to Craig Mish of Herald Sports, the Marlins are getting back shortstop Starlyn Caba and outfielder Emaarion Boyd. In addition to Luzardo, the Phillies are also receiving minor-league catcher Paul McIntosh, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.
Luzardo, 27 years old, has one more year of team control after 2025 and is set to be a free agent in 2027. He will make an estimated $6.5 million in 2025.
In an injury-riddled season, Luzardo only was able to toss 66 2/3 innings in 2024, posting a troublesome 5.00 ERA. However, in the two prior years, Luzardo posted a 3.32 ERA and 3.58 ERA, respectively. His best season was by far 2023 when he threw a career-high 178 2/3 innings posting 208 strikeouts and a 3.58 ERA. His next highest inning total in his career was his other most successful season in 2022 (100 1/3 innings).
Paul McIntosh, 27 years old, played all of 2024 at the Double-A level. He posted a .725 OPS. He reached the Triple-A level in 2023, at 25 years old, posting a .713 OPS across 100 at-bats. He is primarily a catcher but played quite a lot of left field as well in 2024.
As for the prospects the Marlins got back, Starlyn Caba ranked third in the Phillies system according to Baseball America’s most recent update. Caba also ranks as baseball’s 54th prospect overall according to Baseball America. Boyd was not ranked in Baseball America’s most recent top-10 Phillies update. According to MLB Pipeline’s rankings, Emaarion Boyd came in at No. 23 in the Phillies’ system.
Caba, only 19 years old, is already being described as arguably the best defensive shortstop prospect in all of baseball with a true “80” glove, according to Baseball America. In 2024, Caba played mostly in the Florida Complex League, where he struggled mightily with the bat (.228 batting average and .669 OPS), but did walk more than he struck out (67 walks to 49 strikeouts).
Boyd, 21 years old, spent all of 2024 in High-A with the Jersey Shore BlueClaws. He posted a .647 OPS across 351 at-bats, stealing 27 bases (caught 12 times). In 2023, he stole 56 bases and posted a .262 batting average. He can play numerous outfield positions.
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