The Philadelphia Phillies have been able to sustain success for as long as they have because they do an excellent job of balancing win-now moves at the Major League level without sacrificing all of their long-term assets.
They have increased their win total for six straight 162-game campaigns and are one of the true legitimate World Series contenders in the league.
Not afraid to spend money to bring on or retain key players, the front office has done a great job of filling holes when possible in free agency.
Alas, it isn’t the only avenue the team uses to upgrade the roster.
When need be, they aren’t afraid to pull the trigger on some big trades even if it means moving some of their better prospects.
Ahead of last year’s trade deadline, they unloaded a few in a trade with the Los Angeles Angels to acquire relief pitcher Carlos Estevez to bolster the bullpen for the stretch run.
Center fielder Brandon Marsh was also acquired from the Angels in August 2022. Catcher J.T. Realmuto was acquired from the Miami Marlins back in 2019
This offseason, the Phillies’ biggest acquisition came on the trade market when they completed a deal with the Marlins, landing starting pitcher Jesus Luzardo.
He is a major upgrade for the No. 5 spot in the rotation, slotting in behind Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Cristopher Sanchez and Ranger Suarez. Eventually top prospect Andrew Painter will join the mix as well, as Philadelphia has one of the best group of starting pitchers in baseball.
However, to acquire talent you need to give some up as well and the Phillies look to have done that in this deal.
One of the prospects traded to Miami was shortstop Staryln Caba. Despite his youth, it is clear that he has the tools to develop into a stellar player down the road.
Over at MLB.com, their writers have predicted that he will become the best Marlins prospect by 2027.
“He’s also a disciplined hitter with plus speed who led the Rookie-level Florida Complex League in walks (52 in 51 games), runs (44) and steals (37) before struggling after a promotion to Single-A at age 18 last season,” the analysts wrote.
He is already on the radar of evaluators as the No. 81 ranked prospect by MLB’s pipeline. Power likely isn’t going to be a big part of his game at any point of his career, but that shouldn’t stop him from being a productive player at the top level.
His defense is elite, with some scouts giving him a perfect score on the 20-80 scale. That alone will be enough for him to warrant a spot at the Major Leauge level as he knows his role at the plate, making him a dangerous hitter.
The Phillies are in win-now mode and would pull the trigger on a deal for Luzardo 10 out of 10 times, but it will certainly hurt seeing their former star prospect eventually robbing them of hits for years to come on a division rival.
