The Miami Marlins on placed left-handed starter Jesús Luzardo on the 15-day injured list on Saturday with a lumbar stress reaction in his lower back. On Sunday, they transferred him to the 60-day IL to free up a 40-player roster spot. That means, in turn, that Luzardo will not be eligible to return until after the July 30 trade deadline, thereby damaging his chances of being moved to a contender.
The Marlins also transferred fellow starter Edward Cabrera to the 60-day IL, and added yet another starter -- Braxton Garrett -- to the 15-day IL. In corresponding moves, the Marlins selected the contracts of righty Kyle Tyler and lefty Kent Emanuel from Triple-A Jacksonville and optioned righty Shaun Anderson.
The Marlins, with a 26-50 record on the season thus far, are in teardown mode -- already this season they traded infielder Luis Arraez to the San Diego Padres -- but that teardown now may not include Luzardo, who's perhaps their most valuable remaining trade piece.
This season, Luzardo, 26, has pitched to a 5.00 ERA (87 ERA+) with a 2.64 K/BB ratio in 66 ⅔ innings. Those aren't appealing numbers, but he's coming off a 2022-23 run for Miami in which he put up a 3.48 ERA across 50 starts with 328 strikeouts in 279 innings. Last season, he topped 200 strikeouts for the year.
Adding to Luzardo's theoretical trade value is that he's not eligible for free agency until after the 2026 season. Given his strikeout chops, relative youth, pre-2024 record of recent success, and years of remaining control, Luzardo would be a coveted name on the trade market. Now, though, he may not be able to be on the trade market until the winter.
