Getty Images Miami Marlins pitcher Jesus Luzardo
The St. Louis Cardinals currently sit at 4-4 on the 2024 season as they have navigated their fair share of injuries. They have weathered a bit of an early season storm to stay at the .500 mark thus far, but a recent trade idea would see the club making a move for an ace starting pitcher.
The Redbirds added three veteran arms to their pitching rotation over the offseason, but FanNation’s Inside the Cardinals vertical has urged the team to target Miami Marlins lefthander Jesus Luzardo, who has been the subject of numerous MLB trade rumors recently.
The Cards could certainly be on the market for another starting pitcher, as they monitor the condition of righthander Sonny Gray. The free agent signee suffered a hamstring injury in spring training and has yet to make a big league start in 2024. Luzardo would also give manager Oliver Marmol the luxury of having two lefties in rotation – the other being Steven Matz.
“If the Marlins actually do end up deciding to move Luzardo, the Cardinals should do everything possible to get a deal done,” Fan Nation’s Patrick McAvoy wrote. “The rotation still is the club’s biggest question mark and landing someone like Luzardo only could help.”
The Marlins Might Be in the Trade Market Already
On April 3, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Dennis Lin speculated that they could see Jesus Luzardo in a potential trade scenario sooner, rather than later.
Rosenthal and Lin pointed out that the Marlins could be in the market to trade early in the year, as they continue to rebuild their roster. They went winless in the first eight games of the season and aren’t considered legitimate contenders in the NL East.
Why the winless Marlins could be on the path to becoming sellers sooner than expected. With @dennistlin:
“They are 0-7, with four starting pitchers on the injured list,” Rosenthal and Lin wrote. “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.”
“The veteran the Marlins traded, infielder Jon Berti, 34, was only a part-time contributor. Second baseman Luis Arráez, 27, and left-hander Jesús Luzardo, 26, are more valuable commodities. The Marlins resisted trading both before Opening Day. But if their play does not improve, first-year general manager Peter Bendix almost certainly will be more inclined to dismantle his roster.”
Is a Jesus Luzardo Trade Possible for the Cardinals?
Following Gray’s injury, team president John Mozeliak was non-commital if the Redbirds would make an immediate move. However, with a rotation whose average age is approximately 35 years old, adding another arm seems to make sense.
During the offseason, the club signed Gray, along with fellow righthanded pitchers Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson, to help revitalize a staff that posted a 4.79 team ERA in 2023. Despite the upgrade, there’s an adage in baseball that says, “You can’t have too much pitching.”
Tipsheet: If the Marlins decide to bail, the Cardinals would offer a great trade fit
The 26-year-old Luzardo has a 23-29 career record with a 4.19 ERA and 514 strikeouts in 455.2 innings pitched. While those aren’t mind-blowing numbers, the Peruvian-born pitcher’s potential is enough to draw plenty of trade partners for Miami to choose from.
Bidding against that many suitors may be something that Mozeliak and the Cardinals aren’t prepared to do this early in the 2024 campaign.