The Miami Marlins acquired former Athletics top pitching prospect Jesús Luzardo on Wednesday in a trade for outfielder Staring Marte.
Consequently, Luzardo, a native of Parkland, Fla., will head back home. The 23-year-old posted a thank you on Instagram to the A’s organization and the fans he played in front of since 2017.
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“I made some life-long friendships and bonds throughout my time in the Oakland organization that I’ll hold onto forever,” Luzardo wrote in the Instagram post caption. “To my teammates and staff that helped me on and off the field. Who helped me get to where I am today and to where I want to be, thank you. Excited for this new journey with the organization that made me fall in love with baseball at a young age. I’m coming home.”
He also posted on Twitter a quick thank you graphic.
A's starter Chris Bassitt responded to the tweet.
“Thank you 44,” Bassitt wrote on Twitter. “Always brought joy to the game and a positive influence to us all. Nothing but the best Zues! Love ya.”
And to no one's surprise, Luzardo’s mom Monica looks forward to having him back in south Florida.
Luzardo, despite being demoted to Triple-A Las Vegas after posting a 6.87 ERA, was a crucial part of a close group of A’s pitchers who acted like brothers with their laidback vibes.
A’s general manager David Forst wasn’t sure if Luzardo was going to be with the Marlins’ big-league club or not, but he was one of the most highly-touted prospects in the league at one point. Pitching in both starting and reliever roles, and making a clubhouse impact along the way.
Oakland Athletics
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Starter Sean Manaea said as unfortunate as the trade was, letting a teammate go, he believes it’s a great fit.
“Definitely going to miss Jesús, but also, on the other side of the coin, this is a great opportunity for him, and at the end of the day I think for him it’s going to be a good fit,” Manaea said after Wednesday’s 10-4 win over the San Diego Padres. “Him going back home and doing all these things, but I know definitely all the starters were really sad. We kind of came up this year, all five, six of us. A pretty tight-knit group, so having one of us leave is pretty sad, but it’s a great opportunity for him. Definitely going to miss him, but I’ll definitely see him down the road. I just know great things ahead for him.”