Desperation can't sway Padres into making high-risk trade for injured Marlins starter

The San Diego Padres are in the market for a starting pitcher — that much we know. Padres President of Baseball Operations A.J. Preller is said to be enamored with Chicago White Sox starter Garrett Crochet, but the asking price for the left-hander is sure to be through the roof.

The Padres are also not alone in their pursuit of Crochet, with teams like the Baltimore Orioles and Los Angeles Dodgers likely to toss their names into the ring as well. The White Sox will be looking for the best offer at trade deadline, and that might not come from the Friars, especially if the bidding war gets really wild.

But there is another left-handed starter who's also said to available at the MLB trade deadline. The Miami Marlins are still receiving inquiries regarding Jesús Luzardo despite the fact he's currently on the IL with a back injury. The Friar faithful had better hope that Preller is not one of those GMs who is still interested in acquiring Marlins' southpaw, who won't be healthy enough to appear for another several weeks (at best).

The Padres should avoid trading for injured Marlins LHP Jesús Luzardo

According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, there are some front office executives who still believe that Luzardo can make an impact for a contending team during the second half of the regular season and possibly into the postseason. Whoever those executives are, they obviously haven't paid attention to Luzardo's starts this season.

Before landing on the IL, the lefty was 3-6 in 12 starts with a 5.00 ERA and only 58 punch outs in 66.2 innings of work. According to Baseball Savant, Luzardo ranked among the 30th percentile or lower in expected batting average, expected ERA, average exit velocity, and barrel rate. In short, Luzardo was not having a good season before hitting the IL.

Couple that with the left-hander's injury-riddled track record, and no team on the planet should offer anything significant to Miami in exchange for Luzardo's services. The 26-year-old suffered a forearm strain in 2022 that landed him on the 60-day, and Luzardo found his way to the IL at the outset of this season due to an elbow injury as well.

The only saving grace for Luzardo is that he does not enter free agency until after the 2026 season, which means he's more than just a rental. But with that in mind, and a combined 3.48 ERA over the past two seasons, Miami isn't going to just give Luzardo away for peanuts at this year's deadline. Frankly, the Marlins would be foolish to trade Luzardo at the moment, as they'd be selling low during a down year in which he's been on the IL more than the mound.

But the Padres are looking to win now. San Diego doesn't need to focus on a long-term play like Luzardo, but rather an immediate impact arm that can help them to unseat the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West.

The Padres would have better luck with a pitcher like Los Angeles Angels' starter Tyler Anderson or right-hander Erick Fedde of the White Sox. Hopefully the Friars don't allow their desperation cloud their better judgment and swing a deal for the Marlins' injured starter at the upcoming deadline.

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