Baltimore Orioles Listed as Top Suitor For Miami Marlins Ace

An aggressive move could be made by the Baltimore Orioles at the trade deadline to acquire the best starting pitcher who's expected to be available.

May 22, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Marlins pitcher Jesus Luzardo (44) throws a pitch against the Milwaukee Brewers during the first inning at loanDepot Park. / Rich Storry-USA TODAY Sports

The Baltimore Orioles are an incredibly deep organization.

Not only do they have stars everywhere on their Major League roster, but they also have the top farm system in baseball with many of those players sitting in Triple-A waiting for their opportunity.

Entering the 2024 season with massive expectations following their surprise year where they won their division and the most games in the American League, the front office decided to be aggressive and trade for Corbin Burnes.

That move has worked out incredibly so far.

Not only is he in the mix for an AL Cy Young award with a 2.35 ERA across his 12 starts, but he also made this rotation one of the best in the MLB with Kyle Bradish and Grayson Rodriguez slotted behind him.

The Orioles had plenty of candidates they could choose from to fill out the backend of their rotation, especially with John Means returning from his Tommy John surgery.

Unfortunately, Baltimore was dealt a major blow when it was announced both Means and Tyler Wells are undergoing surgery to repair the UCLs in their throwing arms that will cause them to miss the rest of the year.

All of a sudden, their depth is going to be tested.

That's why Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report lists the Orioles as one of the top candidates to go out and acquire Miami Marlins ace Jesus Luzardo ahead of the trade deadline.

The left-hander was on the radar of Baltimore during this past offseason as they were looking for an elite starter to slot into the top of their rotation. Ultimately, they pivoted to Burnes, but they could resume trade conversations centered around Luzardo following this news.

Two positives would come from general manager Mike Elias pulling this off.

One, they would land yet another high-end arm that likely gives them the best rotation in the entire sport.

Secondly, Luzardo is under contract through 2026, so they would have a cost-controlled player for multiple years to have as a contingency plan in case they aren't able to re-sign Burnes in free agency after this season.

However, it's going to be a hefty asking price to meet, something they found out during the winter.

Reuter thinks it would take a package of Enrique Bradfield Jr., Cade Povich, and Connor Norby to land the ace.

All three of those prospects are ranked inside the Orioles' Top 10, with Bradfield being the highest at No. 5. This would allow Baltimore to keep Jackson Holliday, Samuel Basallo, Heston Kjerstad, and Coby Mayo which would be a win.

Still, this might be too much for Elias to give up considering he doesn't normally like to ship out some of his best prospects.

But, if the Orioles are truly serious about being contenders this year and beyond, then landing someone like Luzardo would have them on that path more so than holding onto unproven prospects would.