The Atlanta Braves started the season with one of the most highly-touted starting rotations in all of MLB before ace Spencer Strider was hit with a season-ending elbow injury.
Following that blow, the front office has now been projected to pull off a trade with the Miami Marlins for starter Jesús Luzardo as a partial replacement.
“With Spencer Strider out for the season, the Braves need to add front-line starting pitching as much as any contender in the league,” Bleacher Report’s Tim Kelly wrote as an early prediction for the 2024 MB trade deadline. “A prospect-rich team like the Baltimore Orioles probably could put together an even more compelling trade package for the Marlins, but the Braves will probably be more motivated to get a deal done to address the top of their starting rotation.”
A Jesús Luzardo Trade Could Solve the Atlanta Braves’ Pitching Gap
Aside from Strider, the Braves have seen seven other pitchers start a game so far this season. Max Fried, Charlie Morton, Chris Sale, Darius Vines and Allan Winans have all been hit for ERAs above 4.30 in the early going and Bryce Elder was recently optioned to the minors. But Reynaldo López has been a bright spot, limiting opposing lineups to just 11 hits and a single run in three starts.
Meanwhile, Luzardo has struggled in five starts for the Marlins this season, with a 6.58 ERA and five home runs allowed in 26 innings. But the 26-year-old lefty continues to be a focus of trade speculation after pitching for a 3.58 ERA and 10 wins in 178.2 innings last season, demonstrating crucial durability at the starting spot.
That 2023 performance was enough for The Athletic’s Tim Britton to project he could earn a six-year, $90 million extension. But for this season, he’s owed just $5.5 million, and the Marlins are likely listening to offers.
“No, it is not too early to envision the Miami Marlins as a trade-deadline seller, not when they already have moved one veteran player and entertained offers for some of their biggest names,” Ken Rosenthal and Dennis Lin of The Athletic reported, pointing to the team’s trade of Jon Berti to the New York Yankees. “The way Miami is operating, neither (Luis Arráez) nor Luzardo appears likely to receive a contract extension.”
As such, there’s a good chance Luzardo will be the best pitcher on the midseason trade market, without being so great that the Marlins won’t part with him.
“Trades within the division are rare, but not as much as they used to be,” Kelly noted. “But while Jesus Luzardo is a solid pitcher, he’s not a franchise icon, which would make trading him to the Atlanta Braves a little less painful.”
The Atlanta Braves Might Part With Prospects in a Jesús Luzardo Trade With the Miami Marlins
As for the assets that might be headed back to the Marlins in a trade deadline blockbuster, Kelly pointed out that the Braves might have to part with a significant chunk of its farm system as they get desperate for some pitching depth.
“Miami should make Atlanta say no on giving up Hurston Waldrep, the Braves’ No. 2 overall prospect,” he wrote. “Pitcher Spencer Schwellenbach, shortstop Nacho Alvarez Jr. and catcher Drake Baldwin are among other pieces in the Braves farm system that could make sense as part of a trade package for Luzardo.”
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