Miami Marlins: Responding to a Jesus Luzardo mock trade with the Boston Red Sox

Philadelphia Phillies v Miami Marlins
Philadelphia Phillies v Miami Marlins | Megan Briggs/GettyImages

Marlin Maniac's sister site, BoSox Injection, recently proposed a deal that would ship standout pitcher Jesus Luzardo from the Miami Marlins to the Boston Red Sox. This trade would be one step in a holistic offseason retool in Boston.

Why this Trade Makes Sense for the Boston Rex Sox

The Red Sox, who have been oddly quiet over the past few seasons, seem primed for a massive offseason. They are reportedly a favorite to land superstar Juan Soto. If they can acquire a superstar, they will assuredly seek other supporting talents to supplement their roster. If they miss, it makes sense for them to reallocate those funds toward multiple upgrades across several positions.

Regardless, a young lefty under team control would be a valuable addition. While the initial article does not mention any specific compensation, the Red Sox seem like a motivated trade partner.

Why this Trade Makes Sense for the Miami Marlins

Reports strongly indicated that Luzardo was on the trade block during last year's trade deadline before an untimely injury derailed any momentum for a move. As such, the 27-year-old remains a possible trade candidate.

Miami also displayed their desire to swap established major leaguers for high-upside prospects in a slew of mid-season trades. While Luzardo is young enough to stick with the Marlins throughout their rebuild, it stands to reason that club President Peter Bendix could dangle the starter as another trade chip.

What Could the Marlins Get in Return?

This is the most important question! Boston's farm system features a slew of top-tier talent. While top-25 prospects like Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony, Kyle Teel, and Kristian Campbell would assuredly be untouchable, the Red Sox still have noteworthy chips.

A mock trade by Sports Illustrated has floated shortstop Franklin Arias' name out as a potential fit in a deal involving Luzardo. Arias, a 19-year-old, recently cracked MLB's list of top 100 prospects (#95 overall). While his young age could lead to ebbs and flows in his value, this type of trade would provide Miami with something they were unable to acquire during all their deadline trades: an established top-100 prospect.

For the record, this SI piece also mentions 23-year-old Chase Meidroth as another piece going from Boston to Miami. This would provide Miami with an MLB-ready utility infielder.

The Verdict

While it would be painful to part with a high-upside sudo-ace like Luzardo, a hypothetical deal for talents like Arias and Meidroth would be well worth it for Miami.

The Marlins farm system has risen from 29th in baseball up to 15th. However, there is still plenty of room for the club to grow as they continue to stockpile prospects.

Bendix and company should seriously consider trading Luzardo in nearly any deal that would net them a top-100 prospect. In the specific case of this Jesus-for-Arias-and-Meidroth deal, the Fish would be wise to take the prospect haul and run.

Schedule