After another disappointing exit in the playoffs, the Phillies were seen as suitors for just about every high-profile player in free agency or those who could be acquired via trade.
From free agents Juan Soto to Alex Bregman to Anthony Santander, and players on the trade block like Garrett Crochet, Luis Robert Jr. and Nolan Arenado, virtually everyone predicted this aggressive front office would make another splash this winter.
That turned out not to be the case.
Instead, Philadelphia opted for short-term deals with high-upside like Max Kepler, Jordan Romano and Joe Ross.
But it was their under-the-radar trade for Jesus Luzardo which will go down as the most impactful move made this offseason, not just for the Phillies, but in all of baseball.
Soto’s record-setting deal, the Los Angeles Dodgers adding Roki Sasaki and Blake Snell, Max Fried signing his own record contract with the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox’s aggressive additions of Crochet and Bregman generated the headlines, but Philadelphia adding the Miami Marlins ace will be more effective than all of those.
First, the package they gave up to get an elite arm like Luzardo was nothing compared to what they would have had to send out for someone like Crochet.
While they dealt one of their top prospects, Starlyn Caba, who they initially had no interest in trading, he is years away from reaching the Majors and the infield is projected to be crowded by then anyway.
And with Luzardo getting a just over $6.2 million this season in arbitration, that is pennies compared to what the other pitchers of his caliber are getting paid.
Second, the Phillies solved a major problem in their rotation.
Taijuan Walker proved he couldn’t reliably be handed the ball every fifth day, something that cost Philadelphia multiple games down the stretch which prevented them from securing the top seed in the National League.
While that might not have propelled them to a World Series run, their bullpen would have also had much less mileage on them with a competent fifth starter, which would have saved their arms for the playoffs and potentially prevented the collapse that happened last year.
Now, with a true starting five in their rotation, that gives the Phillies a much deeper set of arms to choose from during the postseason this time around, allowing manager Rob Thomson to mix and match in a series more effectively.
Third, Luzardo could be the third ace on this team.
His injury-plagued campaign in 2024 cratered his value, allowing Philadelphia to add him for a reduced price compared to what he would have cost if he hadn’t gotten hurt.
He’s only two seasons removed from putting up a 3.58 ERA and 131 ERA+ across his 32 starts in 2023, striking out 208 batters in 178.2 innings pitched.
If he can get back to that form, he’s going to be a weapon, and early returns are suggesting he’s going to be that version of himself for the Phillies in 2025.
Luzardo lit up the radar gun with his fastball in his first outing of spring, touching 98 mph at its peak and consistently reaching 97 mph during his two innings where he retired all six batters he faced.
Compared to last year where his back injury limited his heater to just 95.1 mph on average compared to the 96.7 figured he produced in 2023, per Baseball Savant, this is a great sign for the left-hander and Philadelphia heading into the season.
“I feel like we have No. 1 and maybe four No. 2s. It’s kind of how it feels like, honestly. So I don’t know where he slots in, but it’s a great problem to have that we don’t know who’s after No. 1, really,” star catcher J.T. Realmuto said about Luzardo according to Matt Gelb of The Athletic.
That’s a good problem for the Phillies to have, but a scary one for opposing teams.
There are less expectations on the Philadelphia this year since their quiet offseason had them on the back page of headlines this winter.
Maybe that’s a good thing for this team.
The addition of Luzardo is going to be a great thing for this team if he can stay healthy, and since pitching is what wins championships, the under-the-radar trade the Phillies made to add the star lefty could go down as the best move made this cycle if they are the ones who hoist the World Series trophy in October.
