The Miami Marlins must aggressively keep Jesus Luzardo off the Trade Block

One overarching question seems as though it will define much of the offseason for the Miami Marlins: Will the franchise trade any of their young starting pitchers?

The Miami Marlins must aggressively keep Jesus Luzardo off the Trade Block.

Speculation began when reports dropped that the club was receiving phone calls about both Edward Cabrera and Trevor Rogers. Additionally, Braxton Garrett's name has also been thrown around in rumors.

The loss of recent Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara seems to put the team in a position to add pitching rather than part with it. However, if the right deal came along, it is reasonable to consider moving one of the two starters.

However, another name has surprisingly been added to the trade rumors: star Jesus Luzardo. What began as a simple Jon Heyman Tweet speculating that Luzardo could be among the Miami starters on the trade block has begun to evolve into rumors and mock trades.

While it is theoretically acceptable to float players like Cabrera or Rogers in trade discussions, there is little reason for the Miami Marlins to entertain the notion of shopping Luzardo. The club will need the former top prospect to continue his 2023 success if they have any hope of building on their surprise postseason run.

As the roster is currently constituted, Luzardo is one of Miami's most important players. He, alongside rookie phenom Eury Perez, must anchor the top of the Marlins' starting rotation. Based on Luzardo's 3.63 ERA and Perez's 3.15 ERA (both in 2023), the franchise should be as equipped as any in the league to withstand the loss of an ace like Alcantara.

However, trading Luzardo, even for a premiere position player, would leave the rotation in shambles. Miami is already counting on quality innings from some combination of a super impressive but very young budding star in Perez, an oft-injured Trevor Rogers and Max Meyer, an unproven Edward Cabrera, a major question mark in Sixto Sanchez, and a stretched-out AJ Puk.

If things break right, this could be one of the deepest and most complete rotations in baseball. Yet, there is very little to feel confident in outside of Luzardo, Perez, and Garrett.

If Luzardo is removed from this equation, the rotation feels much more like a jumbled mess of question marks than a unit capable of leading a team to the 2024 MLB postseason. And if the Fish intends to compete for another playoff berth, their pitching will need to lead the way. The club will undoubtedly need their young lefty to further cement himself as a franchise pillar in 2024 and beyond.

There is no way to know if there is any real fire to accompany the trade rumor smoke. There is a very real possibility that President Peter Bendix and the rest of the front office have no plans to shop nor trade their young pseudo-ace.

However, regardless of the situation, the prescription remains the same: the Marlins should aggressively keep Luzardo's name off the trade block this offseason.