Cubs Trade Target Jesus Luzardo Was Surprisingly Dealt to Philadelphia Phillies

After appearing like the Chicago Cubs were going to land Jesus Luzardo, he was dealt to the Philadelphia Phillies in a surprising move.

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

The Chicago Cubs have been aggressive this winter.

That has to be refreshing for this fan base after they had to sit back and hear how much this ownership group and front office wanted to build a contender, but then witness them doing nothing to accomplish it.

Jed Hoyer set out to change that this offseason.

First, their decision to acquire Kyle Tucker, even though they had to give up a strong trade package to get him, completely changes the outlook of this team in 2025 as they try to make the playoffs for the first time since 2020.

Turning around and shipping Cody Bellinger and his contract out of town gives them the flexibility of adding another pitcher if they choose to go down that route.

For a while, it seemed like Jesus Luzardo was going to be the next headlining move made by the Cubs, but for whatever reason, those talks fell apart and were deemed "dead" by a team insider.

That's why Chicago had to be pretty shocked when Robert Murray of FanSided reported the ace had been shipped to the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Philadelphia Phillies are acquiring Jesus Luzardo from the Miami Marlins, according to a source familiar with the deal.

— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) December 22, 2024

The return package being sent to the Miami Marlins was the Phillies' star shortstop prospect Starlyn Caba, who was fourth in their pipeline and 81st overall, and outfielder Emaarion Boyd, who was ranked No. 23.

Philadelphia also got back Triple-A catcher Paul McIntosh.

That deal makes sense for both teams since the Marlins are looking to get young pieces back for a rebuild, while the Phillies were searching for starting pitching to boost their rotation.

If the Cubs wanted to get something completed, they likely could have matched this offer since Jefferson Rojas is a top 100 prospect who is on a similar timeline as Caba, and they could have thrown in someone like Brett Bateman or Christian Franklin to be comparable to Boyd.

But, that's probably where talks feel apart.

Chicago has been hesitant to ship away pieces from their farm system in the past, and by trading away Cam Smith and two controllable Major League players for just one guaranteed year of Tucker, Hoyer and the front office likely weren't comfortable doing this type of deal.

That's fine for the Cubs after what they have accomplished already.

There is no doubt this roster is better than what was in place last season, so not getting something done for Luzardo isn't as frustrating as it's been in the past.