Cubs Rumors: Marlins find a new suitor for the Jesus Luzardo trade

The Jesús Luzardo trade rumors can officially be put to rest as the Miami Marlins traded the starting pitcher to the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday morning.

The trade of Luzardo to the Phillies comes after a week in which it was believed the starting pitcher would be headed to the Chicago Cubs. At this time last week, the Cubs and Marlins were engaged in trade talks that would have sent the Cubs' deal from the top of their farm system for Luzardo.

While Owen Caissie's name was bandied about as a name that could be involved in the trade, it seemed more likely that the Cubs were going to include one of James Triantos or Kevin Alcantara as the prized prospect in the deal. Just as it seemed like the Cubs and Marlins were approaching the finish line, talks reportedly hit a snag, and the rumored trade was believed to be dead.

MLB Pipeline has Triantos as the 55th best prospect on their list of baseball's Top 100 prospects, while Alcantara is at 67.

Important context when looking at who the Phillies sent to the Marlins in exchange for Luzardo.

Starlyn Caba is the key prospect in the deal as MLB Pipelined has him ranked No. 81 on their Top 100 list. Where it becomes a curious move, when looking it through the lens of the rumored Cubs' package, is that Caba is only 19 and is still a few seasons away from Major League ready. Caba's ceiling could be higher than Caissie's but at his age, there is some risk involved.

It's a package that the Cubs could have easily beaten without much sacrifice to their farm system. Given that fact, the trade indicates that the Cubs were likely the ones who moved away from the trade talks last week.

Adding an established starting pitcher remains the top priority for the Cubs during the remainder of the offseason. The Cubs have had an initial presentation with Roki Sasaki, but it would seem more likely that someone like Walker Buehler would be more likely unless the team continues to look at the trade market.