The New York Yankees are expected to add this trade deadline with how great their season has been thus far, and one of the areas where they could improve is their pitching staff. It sounds crazy given their rotation success, but you can never have enough good pitching, and Jesus Luzardo is someone they’ve been interested in at various points this offseason. He isn’t having a great start to his 2023 season, with a 5.30 ERA and 22.5% strikeout rate being massive regressions from last season.
Robert Murray mentioned that MLB executives view Jesus Luzardo as a potential fit for the Yankees, alongside teams like the Brewers and Orioles as well.
Is Jesus Luzardo a Good Fit For the Yankees?
There are some alarm bells for Jesus Luzardo’s play this season, as since returning from the IL his fastball velocity has dropped to 94.6 MPH and his ERA is 4.20. If Luzardo could potentially get on a roll, his value might climb, but the Stuff+ regression makes me feel a little unsure about whether he can turn things around soon. He dealt with an elbow issue earlier this season, so when you combine a sketchy elbow with worse stuff, there’s something off about that profile.
Could the Yankees potentially look at him to buy low and see if they can get more out of him? Maybe, but as of right now, the fit doesn’t look nearly as good as it did this winter. Luzardo is getting hit hard, isn’t missing bats as much as he did before, and this feels like a ticking time bomb for a lengthy stint on the IL. Back in 2022, the Yankees traded for Frankie Montas who had a suspect shoulder, and it blew up in their face, so would they want to dip back into that pool?
Some would even argue the Yankees should avoid shopping at the top of the SP market with how well Carlos Rodon and Luis Gil have pitched this season, and that a depth arm could be a better fit. The corner infield is a great concern for many, with Anthony Rizzo’s numbers plummeting across the board, so perhaps that’s where they focus most this upcoming July.
It’s a doomsday scenario, but the Yankees might also have to look at the outfield if something is seriously wrong with Juan Soto.