After the Cubs traded for Kyle Tucker last December they reportedly had another deal in place to acquire Jesús Luzardo from the Miami Marlins, but ultimately passed on trading for the potential ace. At the time there was speculation that the Cubs backed out of the trade because of a medical reason and a few days ago MLB insider Ken Rosenthal confirmed those suspicions.

After the trade talks between the Cubs and Marlins died Luzardo was dealt away to the Philadelphia Phillies less than a week later. The 27-year-old pitcher has suffered elbow and back injuries throughout his career, most recently a back issue that limited Luzardo to 12 starts in 2024.

The Cubs did not feel comfortable with the information they got back regarding Luzardo’s future health outlook and moved on according to Rosenthal.

Via The Athletic.

The Cubs had a trade in place with the Miami Marlins for left-hander Jesús Luzardo, but backed out after a review of his medical records, league sources told The Athletic.

Concerns over Luzardo’s back and elbow made the Cubs reluctant to pay the agreed-upon acquisition cost. Details of the package the Marlins would have received are not known.

The Marlins traded Luzardo along with minor league catcher/outfielder Paul McIntosh to the Phillies for prospects Starlyn Caba and Emaarion Boyd. Caba, 19, is currently a top-100 prospect at shortstop.

Although Rosenthal did not report who the Cubs had agreed to trade to the Marlins before backing out, Bruce Levine reported in December that Owen Caissie and James Triantos were involved in those trade talks.

Cubs and Marlins talking deal for starter Jesús Luzardo. Marlins want young controllable bat back.James Triantos or Owen Cassie would likely be in the deal. @BNightengale first to report Cubs interest.

— Bruce Levine (@MLBBruceLevine) December 14, 2024

So, the Cubs pivoted and eventually signed veteran Colin Rea in January, agreeing to a one-year deal that includes an option for the 2026 season. Not exactly the high-potential rotation arm that Luzardo represented.

To his credit, Rea has been stellar filling in for Justin Steele in the starting rotation. The right-hander has made three starts against the Dodgers, Diamondbacks and Phillies, respectively. Rea had his best outing of the year Friday, tossing five shutout innings in a 4-0 win over Philadelphia. Rea has posted a 0.96 ERA in 18.2 innings with an incredible 19/3 strikeout to walk ratio.

The Cubs are hoping Rea can continue to deliver strong starts, but it’s unreasonable to think the 34-year-old will keep dominating at his current level.

As for Luzardo, he looks healthy again and the Cubs saw in-person how great he can be on Saturday. The left-handed starter pitched six innings and allowed two unearned runs. Through six starts this season Luzardo has a 1.73 ERA in 36.1 innings with 41 strikeouts to 10 walks. He has not allowed more than three runs in any of his starts thus far.

Luzardo is under team control for one more year after 2025. He agreed to a $6.225 million salary for the 2025 season to avoid arbitration with the Phillies.

Obviously the Phillies’ front office felt fine with the medical report that they received and didn’t hesitate to execute the trade for the lefty. Prior to 2025, Luzardo recorded a 4.29 ERA with a 26,0 K% rate during his time with the A’s and Marlins. There’s no doubt that he’s shown flashes of greatness, but the elbow and the back injury certainly became an issue that raised too much doubt for the Cubs.

We’ll see if the team will end up regretting that decision during the next few years.