Philadelphia Phillies Almost Didn't Have Their Best Starting Pitcher This Season

The Philadelphia Phillies have gotten incredible performances out of their offseason acquisition, but they almost didn't have the opportunity to get him.

Mar 29, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Jesus Luzardo (44) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park | Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

It was a quiet offseason for the Philadelphia Phillies that was buoyed by their trade for Jesus Luzardo.

Understanding that their fifth rotation spot was a huge concern and hindrance last year, Dave Dombrowski made an aggressive buy-low move for the star left-hander coming off his injury plagued-season that scared some teams away from being interested in him.

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

He reported the Cubs had a deal in place to acquire Luzardo, only to back out of negotiations "after a review of his medical records."

"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 insider wrote.

After those talks collapsed with Chicago, the Miami Marlins pivoted and sent their star to Philadelphia in an intra-division trade.

The Phillies are certainly happy with how things worked out.

Entering action on Saturday, Luzardo has been the team's best starting pitcher with a 2.08 ERA across his five starts, turning the already-elite rotation into perhaps the top unit in the sport.

He also took the mound on Saturday against the team who decided they didn't like his medicals.

Philadelphia is in desperate need of a win having lost five in a row, so by facing the Cubs, Luzardo can not only get his current team back in the winner's circle with a strong performance, but he can also make a statement that Chicago made a mistake by passing on him.