Marlins Pitchers Jesús Luzardo, Edward Cabrera Could Hit Trade Block This Offseason

While Jesús Luzardo and Edward Cabrera are both projected to be key pieces of the Miami Marlins' starting rotation in 2025, both are candidates to be traded this winter.

Mar 1, 2024; Clearwater, Florida, USA; Miami Marlins pitcher Jesus Luzardo (44) throws a pitch in the first inning of a Spring Training game against the Philadelphia Phillies at BayCare Ballpark. / Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

The Miami Marlins are entering the start of a new era, meaning they might not be done selling off key pieces just yet.

MLB.com's Mark Feinsand wrote an article Sunday going through one potential trade candidate from each team. While he wound up selecting starting pitcher Jesús Luzardo for the Marlins, Feinsand noted that Miami might be more interested in dealing starting pitcher Edward Cabrera instead.

Luzardo made just 12 starts in 2024 due to elbow and back injuries, going 3-6 with a 5.00 ERA and 0.9 WAR. Over the previous two campaigns, though, Luzardo went 14-17 with a 3.48 ERA and 6.1 WAR in 40 total starts.

The 27-year-old left-hander is under team control for the next two seasons. Spotrac projected him to earn $8.6 million in arbitration for 2025, which would give him the second-largest salary on the Marlins' roster.

Cabrera was equally as shaky as Luzardo in 2024, going 4-8 with a 4.95 ERA and 0.7 WAR in 20 starts. He made 36 appearances between 2022 and 2023, putting up a 13-11 record, 3.73 ERA and 3.9 WAR along the way.

The right-hander, who is set to turn 27 years old in April, is projected to make $2.5 million in his first round of arbitration this winter. Cabrera won't hit free agency until after the 2028 campaign.

For as much promise as Luzardo and Cabrera have flashed at times, they have become expendable pieces in the Marlins' ongoing rebuild. The club already dealt away former All-Star starting pitcher Trevor Rogers to the Baltimore Orioles at the trade deadline, and they probably won't stop there.

Former Cy Young winner Sandy Alcántara is poised to return from Tommy John surgery and reestablish himself as Miami's ace. Top prospect Eury Pérez is also set to come back from Tommy John, while Braxton Garrett is hoping to return to form after an injury-riddled campaign of his own.

Ryan Weathers is looking to build upon his 3.63 ERA and 2.1 WAR from 2024 – his first full season as a starter. Valente Bellozo made his big league debut this year, and he impressed by going 3-4 with a 3.67 ERA and 1.5 WAR across 13 starts.

Then there are top prospects Adam Mazur and Max Meyer, neither of whom have found much success during their limited time in the majors in spite of their hype. Dax Fulton and Robby Snelling could get called up to make their respective MLB debuts in 2025 as well.

That gives the Marlins seven to nine options to fill five starting rotation spots, without even counting Luzardo or Cabrera. If manager Clayton McCullough and his new staff are comfortable moving off of one or both of them, Miami could continue its teardown in short order.

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