The Los Angeles Dodgers have completely revamped their roster this offseason, adding two-way star Shohei Ohtani, right-handed pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow and outfielders Teoscar Hernández and Manuel Margot.
As general manager Brandon Gomes said on Tuesday, the front office feels good about where the roster stands heading into spring training. He also said the team is always looking for ways to improve.
The Dodgers don’t have many needs as the first day of spring training nears, but there is one clear hole in the starting rotation: a left-handed pitcher.
The Dodgers’ rotation currently consists of five right-handers — Yamamoto, Glasnow, Bobby Miller, Emmet Sheehan and Walker Buehler, who may start the 2024 season late as he recovers from Tommy John surgery.
They don’t have a left-hander to balance out the rotation, and even if they were to bring back free agent Clayton Kershaw, he likely won’t pitch until after the All-Star break.
So, what can the Dodgers do to fill their need for a left-handed starter?
Call up the Miami Marlins and trade for Jesús Luzardo.
Jesús Luzardo Scouting Report
Luzardo, 26, is a hard-throwing left-handed pitcher, born to Venezuelan parents in Peru and raised in South Florida.
The former third-round draft pick struggled for the first three years of his career in Oakland, but has figured things out over the last two seasons in Miami.
In 2022, Luzardo went 4-7 with a 3.32 ERA and 120 strikeouts in 100.1 innings pitched over 18 starts. In 2023, he went 10-10 with a 3.68 ERA and 208 strikeouts in 178.2 innings over 32 starts.
Luzardo has a four-seam fastball that averages 97 mph and a slider, changeup, and occasional sinker and cutter. He was in the 90th percentile of fastball velocity in 2023, and the 86th percentile of whiff percentage.
Why Jesús Luzardo is the Perfect Target for the Dodgers
Luzardo makes sense for the Dodgers for a few reasons.
He’s a left-handed pitcher, still young enough to improve before he’s eligible for free agency. Luzardo also has three more years of team control before he can test the open market in 2027.
That last point may be the most important: acquiring Luzardo would not only be a move for 2024, but for the next few seasons.
A rotation of Ohtani, Yamamoto, Glasnow, Miller, Sheehan and Luzardo in 2025 and 2026 would be almost unfair, a perfect mix of velocity, strikeouts and downright nastiness.
What Would the Dodgers Have to Give Up to Get Jesús Luzardo?
Luzardo will not come cheap as a young, lefty starter with multiple years of team control. But the Dodgers have an overflowing farm system, especially on the pitching side of things.
The Marlins have a new general manager this year in Peter Bendix, so there’s no past precedent to gauge how he would (or wouldn’t) do a deal with the Dodgers. However, the Marlins could use a catcher, infielder and some young pitchers, making them a great match for L.A.
Proposed Trade
Dodgers Receive: LHP Jesús Luzardo, LHP Tanner ScottMarlins Receive: INF Miguel Vargas, C Diego Cartaya, RHP Nick Frasso, RHP Landon Knack, LHP Ronan Kopp
Why This Trade Makes Sense for Both Sides
Luzardo fills all the needs previously mentioned. Scott, a left-handed reliever, upgrades a bullpen that could use another high-leverage lefty.
Scott is coming off a dominant 2023 season where he boasted a 2.31 ERA in 74 appearances, and racked up 104 strikeouts and 12 saves. He’s the exact piece the L.A. bullpen is missing, and won’t cause the front office to break the bank like they would for Josh Hader.
On the Marlins’ side of things, they’re getting the Dodgers’ No. 2 and No. 3 prospects in Cartaya and Frasso, along with Vargas, who’s ready to play at the MLB level. They’re also adding the team’s No. 9 prospect in Knack and the No. 15 prospect in Kopp.
It’s an absolute haul going back to Miami, one that will help them both in the present and future. As for the Dodgers, they would clear space on the 40-man roster and add two players that fill the two biggest needs left on the roster.
The Dodgers can stand pat this month and still boast an offseason that exceeded the wildest dreams of most fans. Or they can get two winters’ worth of work done before pitchers and catchers report to spring training by solving the final piece of their rotation puzzle.
Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
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