Oakland A’s: Where did it go wrong for Jesus Luzardo?

Jesus Luzardo has seen his time with the Oakland A’s come to an end. On Wednesday, he was sent to the Miami Marlins, their return as Starling Marte headed to Oakland. It was a shocking trade, not only due to the A’s landing Marte, but also due to Luzardo being sent back to Miami.

While Luzardo is getting a fresh start in Miami, it shows how far he had fallen in the eyes of the organization. It was a sudden fall from grace, as he had been considered as the A’s ace of the future going forward. Luzardo was even viewed as a dark horse candidate for the AL Cy Young award this season.

Jesus Luzardo unable to be what Oakland A’s needed

There was plenty of hope for Luzardo following his rookie season. While he struggled with his consistency, the overall results were respectable. He posted a 4.12 ERA and a 1.271 WHiP in his 59 innings, striking out 59 batters with 17 walks. The hope was that he would take the next step forward, beginning to develop into the ace the A’s hoped he would become.

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Instead, Luzardo was even more inconsistent this season. He would lose his command outing to outing before breaking a finger while playing a video game. When he returned, he just was not the same, allowing homers every team he took the mound. It was to the point where Luzardo was entirely unusable, resulting in his banishment to Triple-A.

Luzardo did not fare well in Triple-A either this season, struggling as he dealt with the demotion. While he had to be disappointed, his stock continued to plummet in the eyes of the A’s. He just was not becoming the player they had hoped for, as the inconsistency and questions about his mental toughness continued.

Maybe Luzardo can put it all together in Miami. He will not need to be the next ace for the Marlins, especially with the likes of Sixto Sanchez and Edward Cabrera potentially ready to dominate for the foreseeable future. Luzardo can be himself without that pressure.

The Oakland A’s had high hopes for Jesus Luzardo. In the end, he was unable to live up to them, the pressure of greatness being more than he could handle.