The Miami Marlins are open to trading Jazz Chisholm Jr. and will have several pieces available in the next three weeks, but they are not planning a full roster overhaul. According to Craig Mish of the Miami Herald, the Marlins will not trade Jesus Luzardo until he is fully healthy. Luzardo is on the 60-day injured list due to a lower back stress reaction, extending beyond the July 30 trade deadline. This could lead to a trade in the offseason or next year’s deadline.
Mish also notes that Bryan De La Cruz and Jesús Sánchez are likely to remain with the team. Despite interest in De La Cruz, both he and Sánchez are controllable through the 2027 season.
Marlins Unlikely to Trade Jesus Luzardo, De La Cruz, or Sánchez
Keeping Luzardo is a smart move for the Marlins. At 26, he has two more seasons under club control and possesses a strong pitching arsenal, making him a valuable asset. Trading him while injured would mean selling at a low value. Luzardo had struggled before his injury, dealing with back issues and elbow tightness earlier in the season. He currently has a 5.00 ERA in 66 2/3 innings.
However, Luzardo’s 21.2 percent strikeout rate and eight percent walk rate show improvement. When healthy, he was one of the top left-handed pitching prospects, starting 50 games with a 3.48 ERA and a 28.7 percent strikeout rate over 279 innings from 2022-23.
If Luzardo returns healthy for the second half, his trade value could increase significantly. He won’t turn 27 until September 30 and is earning $5.5 million this season, making him a potential high-value trade asset when healthy.
De La Cruz and Sánchez Show Some Upside
Both outfielders have shown potential at the plate. De La Cruz, 27, and Sánchez, 26, are having subpar seasons offensively. De La Cruz is batting .237/.286/.410 and is on pace for a career-high in home runs, despite a 26 percent strikeout rate and 6 percent walk rate. Sánchez is hitting .239/.291/.386 with nine home runs, striking out 23.6 percent of the time and walking 5.8 percent.
Both players have good platoon splits. De La Cruz, a right-handed hitter, is batting .288/.318/.464 against left-handed pitchers but only .210/.269/.380 against right-handers. Sánchez, a left-handed hitter, is hitting .270/.323/.445 against right-handers but struggles against left-handers at .091/.130/.159.
The Marlins have limited outfield depth, and trading either player would further weaken that position. With both Sánchez and De La Cruz under club control for three more seasons, it is unlikely that the Marlins will move either player.
