Philadelphia Phillies Nearly Missed Out on Their Top Starter This Season

The off-season was relatively calm for them. Philadelphia Phillies That was supported by their acquisition of Jesus Luzardo through a trade.

Realizing that their fifth starter position posed a significant issue and obstacle the previous year, Dave Dombrowski took decisive action by making a bold play for a prominent left-handed pitcher who had recovered from an injury-plagued season, deterring several teams from pursuing him.

According to Ken Rosenthal from The Athletic (subscription required), the Chicago Cubs were one.

He stated that the Cubs had arranged to get Luzardo but decided to withdraw from talks after examining his medical reports.

"Fears about Luzardo's back and elbow led the Cubs to hesitate paying the previously agreed upon price for him. The specifics of what the Marlins were supposed to get in return remain undisclosed," according to the insider’s statement.

Following the collapse of those discussions with Chicago, the Miami Marlins rotated and moved their key player to Philadelphia as part of an internal exchange.

The Phillies are definitely pleased with how everything turned out.

On Saturday, Luzardo will take the mound, having become the team’s most outstanding starter this season with an impressive 2.08 ERA over his five outings. This addition could elevate what was already a formidable pitching staff to potentially being the best in baseball.

He also pitched on Saturday against the club that opted not to proceed with him due to concerns about his physical exams.

Philadelphia desperately needs a victory after losing five consecutive games, making this matchup against the Cubs particularly crucial for Luzanno. A solid outing could help his team break their losing streak and simultaneously prove to Chicago that they missed out on signing someone who could have been an asset.

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The article was initially published here www.si.com/mlb/phillies as The Philadelphia Phillies Nearly Went Into This Season Without Their Top Starter. .