Were the Brewers just defeated by a future trade deadline target?

The Milwaukee Brewers have had all kinds of problems with left-handed starting pitchers over the years. So perhaps in a couple months they can counter that issue with the philosophy of, "If you can't beat them, have them join you."

After splitting the first two games of their most recent road series against the Marlins, both of which having started by lefties for Miami, the Brewers faced one final left-handed starter in Jesus Luzardo to end the series on Wednesday. And it did not go well for the Crew.

Luzardo dominated the Brewers for eight scoreless innings, eventually leading the Marlins to a 1-0 win and handing Milwaukee their second straight series defeat. The southpaw only struck out four Brewer batters, but didn't walk any and only gave up three hits, all singles.

Though he hasn't been elite by any means, Luzardo has had a very solid season for the Marlins so far. Through eight starts, the lefty is 2-3 with a 4.14 ERA, a 1.095 WHIP, and a .217 batting average against.

Unfortunately for the Marlins, it hasn't helped them get very far this year, though that can be said for pretty much anyone on their roster. Though they've played better of late, they are still 17-34 and tied with the Rockies for last in the National League with a .333 win percentage and are second to last in all of baseball with a -82 run differential.

After snagging one of the last Wild Card spots in the playoffs in 2023, it appears that the Marlins are already heading toward being sellers at the trade deadine in 2024. Should that happen, it could turn out that Luzardo just made a strong audition for his new team.

The Brewers may want to target left-handed starter Jesus Luzardo, who they just faced on Wednesday, at the 2024 trade deadline.

Should the Marlins actually decide to be sellers at this year's deadline, Luzardo is a prime candidate to be moved. The 26-year-old is entering the prime of his career and has some years of control left, something that could fetch a good return for Miami.

For the Brewers, there was always a chance that they were going to have to target starting pitching help at this year's trade deadline. After navigating through the last few seasons with a strong rotation core, Milwaukee had more questions than normal with that group led by new ace Freddy Peralta.

Those questions have intensified as injuries have blasted the Brewers starting rotation. No. 2 starter Wade Miley is already out for the year after having Tommy John surgery while Jakob Junis and DL Hall, who both began the year as starters for the team, remain on the IL themselves.

Meanwhile, rookies Tobias Myers and No. 4 prospect Robert Gasser as well as reliever Bryse Wilson have filled in for them in the rotation. They've largely acquited themselves well, but who knows how well they will hold up and what things will look like overall two months from now.

Having a bit more of an established MLB starter would serve the Brewers rotation well and Luzardo fits the bill in that regard. He will likely be a hot commodity, though, so the question will be whether Milwaukee can outbid other teams for his services.