Phillies Rumors: Cubs backed out of offseason Jesús Luzardo trade over medicals

The Chicago Cubs "backed out" of an offseason trade to acquire Jesús Luzardo from the Miami Marlins "after a review of his medical records," according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Ultimately, the Phillies acquired Luzardo in a rather surprising trade on Dec. 22. They sent a package centered around shortstop prospect Starlyn Caba — who entered the season as the No. 75 prospect in the sport, per Just Baseball's Aram Leighton — back to Miami. Caba is currently on the minor-league injured list, and the sure-handed defender had struggled offensively with a .200 batting average in his first 35 at-bats at Single-A Jupiter. 

On the flip side, Luzardo has been tremendous for the Phillies. Over his first five starts of the season, Luzardo has a 2.08 ERA and 1.77 FIP with 36 strikeouts. According to FanGraphs, Luzardo is one of five pitchers tied for the league lead with a 1.3 WAR. 

Jesús Luzardo's 2Ks in the 5th. ✝️🦎 pic.twitter.com/MqC8Zoyf1i

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 20, 2025

Luzardo will make his sixth start of the season Saturday afternoon at Wrigley Field against the Cubs, and right now, you feel about as good about him as any player on the Phillies. 

As for the Cubs backing out of the deal, Luzardo did have a 5.00 ERA over 12 starts last season, a campaign that really turned into a lost year because of left elbow tightness initially and then ultimately a lumbar stress reaction in his back. It wasn't unreasonable to have some uncertainty about his durability after last season. 

The most puzzling party in all of this isn't the Phillies or Cubs, but rather the Marlins. Maybe the Marlins thought that if Luzardo had another injury-plagued season that his trade value would crater. But he posted a 3.48 ERA across 50 starts between 2022 and 2023, so it felt strange to trade him after a disappointing 2024 season. 

Surely, the Phillies are thankful for the ineptitude of the Marlins. They now have Luzardo under control through the 2026 season. If the 27-year-old lefty had been pitching like this for the Fish, it would have cost much more to acquire him this summer than it did over the winter. 

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https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders/major-league?month=0&pos=all&stats=pit&type=8