MIAMI -- In a rare move swung between National League East rivals, the Marlins traded left-hander Jesús Luzardo and Minor League catcher Paul McIntosh to the Phillies for a pair of top prospects, the team announced Sunday.

Joining the Marlins' organization are shortstop Starlyn Caba (Philadelphia's No. 4 prospect per MLB Pipeline, No. 81 overall) and outfielder Emaarion Boyd (Philly's No. 23 prospect). Caba slots in as Miami's No. 3 prospect and becomes the fourth Top 100 prospect in the system along with Thomas White, Noble Meyer and Agustin Ramirez.

TRADE DETAILS
Marlins get: SS Starlyn Caba (PHI No. 4 prospect), OF Emaarion Boyd (PHI No. 23)
Phillies get: LHP Jesús Luzardo, Minor League C/OF Paul McIntosh

"Ultimately, what it comes down to for us is making sure that we are getting players in return that we think are going to be really good," president of baseball operations Peter Bendix said. "That is the most important thing, regardless of where those players come from. Now, there certainly is additional nuance to trading within the division. We know that we're going to have to face Jesús multiple times over the next couple of years, and we know that's a risk that we're taking on that we are trading within the division.

"But, ultimately, our job as an organization is to get the best players that we possibly can into the organization to be as good as we can for as long as we can, and at the end of the day, that's the overriding factor when it comes to a deal like this."

Caba, 19, was considered one of the best players in the 2023 international signing class and lived up to the hype in the Dominican Republic Summer League by hitting .301/.423/.346. After Caba led the Florida Complex League in stolen bases, walks and runs to begin 2024, he struggled at Single-A Clearwater (.494 OPS in 26 games) to close out his age-18 season.

According to MLB Pipeline's scouting report, the switch-hitter has elite run (60) and field (70) grades on the scouting scale (20-80), with a knack for making contact from both sides of the plate and walking more than he strikes out.

MLB Pipeline also goes on to say Caba could be a plus shortstop for a very long time because of his outstanding range, soft hands, excellent footwork, good internal clock and above-average arm. He has drawn comparisons to Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor.

Boyd, 21, was an 11th-round pick by the Phillies in the 2022 MLB Draft out of South Panola High School in Mississippi.

In his second full professional season in 2024, the right-handed-hitting Boyd batted .239/.317/.331 with 13 doubles, five triples, three homers and 40 RBIs in 96 games for High-A Jersey Shore. With a 70-grade run tool, Boyd finished second in the Florida State League with 56 steals in 2023 -- but he was caught 18 times. Due to his elite speed, Boyd will get every opportunity to start in center field.

"When we're acquiring young players, it's all about what we expect them to do moving forward," Bendix said. "It's all about how we expect them to improve, how we expect them to grow, and we're looking for the traits, the skills, the tools that we think are going to allow them to be really, really good big leaguers. And in both of these players, we think they have those traits, those skills, those characteristics that can allow them to be really good big leaguers."

The 27-year-old Luzardo, whom the Marlins acquired from the A's as a reclamation project for Starling Marte in a July 2021 deal, had been the subject of trade rumors each of the past two offseasons. With two more years of club control, Cot's Baseball Contracts projected him to make $6.5 million via arbitration in 2025.

After a career year in 2023 that included starting against the Phillies in Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series, local kid Luzardo dealt with left elbow tightness and then sustained a season-ending lumbar stress reaction in late June 2024. Miami's Roberto Clemente Award nominee finished with a 5.00 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP in 12 starts.

Barring further trades or injuries, the departure of Luzardo leaves the following 40-man starting-pitching options for the Marlins come Opening Day: right-handers Sandy Alcantara, Edward Cabrera, Max Meyer, Valente Bellozo, Adam Mazur and Xzavion Curry as well as left-handers Ryan Weathers, Braxton Garrett and Dax Fulton, who is coming off a second Tommy John surgery and has never pitched above the Double-A level. No. 6 prospect Robby Snelling is a name on the rise.

McIntosh, who signed as an undrafted free agent out of West Virginia University in 2021, had been stuck at Double-A Pensacola (.725 OPS) due to the upper-level catchers in the system.

"I think it really does come down to the players that we're getting in return being guys that we just feel very strongly about," Bendix said. "We think that they're really high-end pieces that are hard to acquire, and they can help us be good for a long time. And that was really the emphasis behind the trade."