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On Friday evening, surprising news dropped on the timeline. Highly-talented RHP Marcos Paz entered the transfer portal. Kendall Rogers was first to report the news.
Following a turbulent, but promising freshman year, there was plenty of hope and excitement about his future. While there were certainly some struggles, the flashes of talent were impossible to ignore.
Paz finished the season with a 1-4 record, including a 9.20 ERA in 29.1 innings of work. Command and walks were his biggest issue, similar to the pitching staff as a whole. While 40 strikeouts in 29.1 innings is remarkable for a true freshman, walking 27 and hitting 4 more batters are a recipe for disaster.
He entered the weekend rotation for the second half of SEC play, totaling 4 conference starts. His first came on Sunday at Mississippi St, which was the weekend that Casan Evans was first scratched just minutes before game 1. That game 3 start, along with his start against South Carolina the next weekend, were both excellent, allowing just 4 earned runs in 8.0 innings. Things went down hill for his final two starts, though. Georgia was the best offense in college baseball and then Florida was arguably the hottest offense in the SEC. Against those two combined, he allowed 14 earned runs in just 5.2 innings.
While the overall numbers aren’t flattering, it’s important to remember that Paz came to LSU having missed his senior season due to Tommy John surgery. If not for that, he likely never made it to campus. He was in serious consideration to be drafted directly out of the high school even with the injury, due to his exceptional talent. The benchmark for being 100% following that surgery is typically 18 months, which was right at the beginning of the 2026 season. He was not yet cleared to pitch in fall-ball, so every outing starting in February was an attempt to shake off more rust.
At Hebron High School in Texas, Paz was a two-time All-State selection. He was ranked the #90 overall prospect by MLB.com for the 2025 draft. Perfect Game had him as the #22 right-handed pitchers and #3 among the state of Texas.
With LSU returning their entire original starting rotation from last season, there was not a clear path to crack one of the weekend spots. It’s unclear if that was the determining factor for Paz’s decision, but it’s a fair assumption. He was viewed as a potential Friday night ace for the 2028 season after Casan Evans, Cooper Moore, and William Schmidt presumably get drafted and move on to professional baseball.
While the Tigers have been fortunate to return most of their young core who are the future of the program, this one is their first big loss. There’s no doubting that. Jay Johnson and company will pivot and reload, as they always do, but they took a hit today.
Where will Marcos Paz land next? Early speculation is that Texas A&M is in play for the high-upside pitcher.
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