Miami Marlins: Responding to a Jesus Luzardo-for-Christopher Morel Mock Trade

Our friends at Fansided's Cubbies Crib recently proposed a mock trade that would send Miami Marlins starter Jesus Luzardo to the Chicago Cubs in exchange for Christopher Morel. The goal is to supplement Chicago's starting rotation, which is projected to lose former All-Star Marcus Stroman, while also addressing Miami's void at starting shortstop.

All cards on the table, I have personally advocated for Miami to aggressively avoid placing Luzardo on the trade block. However, the inclusion of a budding power hitter in Morel has piqued my interest.

Miami Marlins: Responding to a Jesus Luzardo-for-Christopher Morel Mock Trade

Does this deal make sense for the Marlins? Let's discuss the positives and negatives.

The Good

There are many things to like about Morel. The 24-year-old burst onto the scene in 2022, hitting .235 with 16 homers and 10 steals across 379 at-bats. He followed up this exciting rookie campaign with a much improved .247 BA and 26 homers in 2023. This included a thrilling stretch in which Morel set a new Cubs record by blasting nine home runs in the first 12 games of a season.

If combined with current Miami stars Jazz Chisholm, Luis Arraez, Josh Bell, and Jake Burger, Morel could help create a dangerous offensive unit in Loan Depot Park, particuarly in terms of their power output.

Morel has primarily been an outfielder in his young career, however, he does have 44 starts at 2B, 20 at 3B, and 11 at SS. He is a bit of a Swiss Army Knife. But he is a much-preferred option over any other current Miami Marlins' shortstop.

Additionally, the young Cub is Pre-Arbitration eligible in both 2024 and 2025, with his first year of arbitration coming in 2026, and his first free agency coming in 2029.

He is young. He is a potential power juggernaut. And he is under team control for the foreseeable future. At first glance, this is a super tempting trade offer. However, there are important underlying dynamics that must be considered. Such as...

The Bad

Like many sluggers in the modern MLB, Morel has a high strikeout tendency. Oakland A's outfielder led all of baseball (qualified hitters) with a 32.7% K-rate in 2023. Though he did not receive enough ABs to qualify, Morel posted a 31% mark. This would have been the sixth-worst in baseball.

Morel's 133 strikeouts in 2023 were a problem. As were his 137 Ks in 2022. As will be his 130 projected whiffs this season.

The slugger's 8.4% walk rate was also concerningly low. Morel very much profiles as a high-power, high strikeout, low OPB player who will build his career on the home run ball. Thankfully, he is very skilled at hitting home runs. But the Marlins cannot discount the plate discipline concerns.

The Ugly

Unfortunately, the metrics also indicate concerns with Morel's defense, particularly as a shortstop. For instance, Baseball Savant ranked 473 qualified players in terms of their defensive range and out-production. Want to guess where Morel ranked in 2023? #438... And this was with him playing an easier 2B as his primary infield position. This number should only decline if he shifts to shortstop.

Morel would be a perfect fit as a DH replacement for Jorge Soler. Or even a staple of one of Miami's corner outfield spots. But, unfortunately, he is not a realistic option to take over as Miami's starting shortstop in 2024 and beyond.