Jesús Luzardo trade talks between Cubs, Marlins have stopped

The Miami Marlins have been willing to consider trade offers for left-hander Jesús Luzardo ever since Peter Bendix took over their front office, but the latest negotiations involving him recently hit a snag, according to Bruce Levine of 670 The Score. During a radio interview on Wednesday night, Levine said he didn't know what went awry. His best guess is an issue with player physicals may have prevented the Chicago Cubs from continuing to work toward a deal.

The Marlins and Cubs were far enough along in talks last weekend to exchange specific prospect names, per Levine. "Marlins want young controllable bat back," he tweeted on Saturday, adding that either outfielder Owen Caissie or second baseman James Triantos would likely be sent to Miami if they could finalize the trade.

Caissie is the fourth-ranked Cubs prospect on Baseball America's list and widely regarded as a Top 100 prospect across Major League Baseball. He slashed .278/.375/.472 at Triple-A last season (121 wRC+) with 19 home runs and 11 stolen bases in 127 games. The No. 7 Cubs prospect, Triantos was equally productive offensively at Double-A/Triple-A, though more so because of his contact ability and speed (.300/.346/.427, 123 wRC+, 7 HR, 47 SB in 115 G). Both players are entering their age-22 season.

It would be unsurprising if the lumbar stress reaction that sidelined Luzardo for the majority of 2024 complicated the negotiations. The 27-year-old is expected to be full ready for spring training, but he has not pitched in a game since June 16 when his fastball velocity plummeted to 3 mph below his season average. That's why it always seemed more logical for the Marlins to hold onto him entering 2025, at least long enough to make several Grapefruit League appearances and demonstrate he has regained the quality of stuff he previously had.

As Sean McCormack wrote about on Tuesday, the Baltimore Orioles and Minnesota Twins are among the teams that could potentially pursue Luzardo if the Cubs turn their attention to other pitchers.