Cubs reportedly in on Luis Castillo and Jesus Luzardo |
After a very slow start to the Chicago Cubs offseason, things began to pick up late last week, and they haven't slowed down since. It all started with the blockbuster deal on Friday, which landed the Cubs Kyle Tucker from the Houston Astros in exchange for Cam Smith and Isaac Paredes. The momentum continued later into the weekend when the Carson Kelly deal with the Cubs was finalized.
Both of those moves will make this team better in 2025, but the Tucker move will be the center of attention as the Cubs would love to reach an extension for him well beyond next season. That is a topic for another day, but despite making two massive moves over the weekend, the rumor mill has continued to pick up, and the Cubs are at the center of attention yet again. As mentioned throughout last week, the Cubs are continuing to look for starting pitching help. Unless they make a surprise free agent signing, it does appear the Cubs will address that through the trade market. They have already been linked to Luis Castillo on several accounts. Still, according to Bruce Levine on Sunday, the Cubs are now discussing Jesus Luzardo as a potential trade option with a top prospect going to the Marlins. "I think Luzardo is something that [the Cubs would] really like to get done here in the next few days," Levine said on Monday morning. Things are starting to pick up in Cubs camp, which is a good sign, but are either of these moves a good thing for the Cubs? We're starting with Castillo for a bit, and the Cubs are one of four teams looking at adding the right-hander. The former ace of the Reds staff signed with the Mariners several seasons ago, and he has been a huge addition to their rotation. Granted, he isn't going to wow you as he has been mostly a .500 pitcher at best, but with an ERA in the mid-3.00s, Castillo hasn't always benefitted from the best-run support. Formally, someone who could throw 97 MPH plus with his heater, Castillo has lost some of that velocity but will still sit in the 95-96 MPH range with his heater. He pairs that with an 89 MPH slider and arguably one of the better change-ups in the game that sits around 88 MPH.
Should the Cubs find a way to get a deal done for Castillo, they would not only take on a contract that would pay him close to $50 million the next two seasons, but he would instantly fall into the top three of the Cubs rotation making their rotation one of the best in the NL. What the Cubs would be forced to give Seattle would be the next question, but Nico Hoerner remains the name in the conversation as the Mariners are looking for more offensive.
Seattle would also fill an area of need for Seattle, which comes with multiple years of control so that you can see the fit there. Luzardo was more of a surprise name pop-up, but the more you think about it, the less of a surprise it is. After all, the Cubs were linked to Luzardo last offseason but couldn't reach a deal, so they clearly liked him enough to continue to pursue him in a trade.
Like Castillo, Luzardo has mostly been a .500 pitcher for most of his career, but again, he has struggled to get run support to back him up. Last season was a miserable campaign for Luzardo as he went 3-6 with an ERA over 5.00 before being shut down with a back injury. Before that, Luzardo had a two-year run where he was one of the better pitchers in the NL as he went 14-17 in 2022-23 but posted a 3.41 ERA.
He also struck out 208 batters in just 176 innings in 2023, showing his ability to have elite stuff. When healthy, Luzardo sits around 97 MPH with his fastball while mixing in one of the better backfoot sliders in the game. As with many starters, injuries are a concern for Luzardo, but given the depth in the Cubs rotation right now, he could be worth the risk if they don't overpay.
Names like Owen Caissie and James Triantos have been mentioned as the return for Luzardo, but if you are going to go with Caissie, it better be a one-for-one deal.
It doesn't seem like the Cubs are too keen on moving Caissie right now, but you could see a scenario where Triantos and a mid-tier prospect like Alexander Canario or Matt Mervis are sent to the Marlins in exchange for Luzardo.
With the Winter Meetings officially over, look for the rumors to start to heat up again. Chicago has suddenly become the most active team in baseball, and it doesn't appear to be stopping anytime soon.
