The Philadelphia Phillies’ top performer on the mound this season nearly landed with another club during the offseason.

The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports the Chicago Cubs had a deal in place to acquire left-hander Jesús Luzardo from the Miami Marlins but backed out over concerns about the pitcher’s back and elbow.

Luzardo struggled with injuries last season, making just 12 starts. He first landed on the injured list from April 26 to May 11 with elbow tightness, then missed the remainder of the year after being diagnosed with a lumbar stress reaction on June 16.

After the Cubs deal collapsed, the Phillies moved quickly to secure the talented lefty, trading prospects Starlyn Caba and Emaarion Boyd to Miami.

“I’ve had plenty of players where one club hasn’t taken a player because of medicals and another club has, and the player is fine. Everybody has their own standards, how they read certain injuries,” Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski told Rosenthal.

Dombrowski expressed confidence in his medical team’s evaluation.

“Our doctors and athletic trainers — and knock on wood, because you never know what happens — have been very good at analyzing guys for us. And they have turned guys down at times, too, for us. But they felt they would be able to keep Luzardo healthy.”

The gamble has paid immediate dividends. Through five starts, Luzardo has posted a dominant 2.08 ERA, 195 ERA+, and 36 strikeouts across 30⅓ innings.

In a fitting twist, Luzardo takes the mound against the Cubs at Wrigley Field on Saturday, facing the team that once had him in their grasp.