A Yankees insider hints at a blockbuster deal. Could Sandy Alcantara soon trade Miami teal for Bronx pinstripes?
A big question is whether or not Sandy Alcantra can regain his 2022 Cy Young form. Another question is how much longer he'll be with the Miami Marlins.
Per one Yankees insider, Alcantra ending up in pinstripes is a realistic thought.
On the surface, it makes a lot of sense for the Marlins to keep Alcantra.
After all, this team improved by 17 games last season, and having a former Cy Young Award winner in the fold is a good way to improve further.
Then again, Alcantra hasn't been the same since that 2022 season, so it might be worth at least listening to offers.
“Will Warren and pitching prospect Bryce Cunningham are part of a late July trade package to Miami in exchange for Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara,” Yankees insider Pete Caldera of NorthJersey.com wrote.
Yankees GM Brian Cashman currently likes his rotation, which is anchored by another former Cy Young Award winner in Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon, who has finished in the Top 6 of the Cy Young voting three times.
The problem is, both Cole and Rendon will miss Opening Day due to surgery.
“Ultimately, we are vulnerable early on, because of Rodon’s surgery and Cole’s surgery,” Cashman said. “So that’s one of the reasons we brought Yarbrough in, and we are also having conversations about potentially, how can we protect ourselves in the starting rotation. Because when they’re all healthy. Which they never are. But when they’re all healthy, they’re firing on all cylinders, it’s a great rotation.”
So, how likely are the Marlins to move Alcantra?
Per one Miami insider, it would take a lot.
“Marlins will listen on (Edward) Cabrera, but 2 suitors (Houston, Baltimore) are no longer involved and Marlins don’t want to sell short on him. They want to keep Alcantara (would have to take an incredible offer to even consider a deal), per source,” Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald wrote in December.
At his best, Sandy Alcantra isn’t just the Miami Marlins’ ace, but he’s one of the best pitchers in baseball.
In 2022, Alcantra was so dominant— 14 wins, 9 losses and a 2.28 ERA— that he won the NL Cy Young Award and finished in the top 10 of the MVP voting.
Since then, he hasn’t been the same.
In 2023, Alcantra’s ERA went up into the low 4s, and at the end of the season, he suffered an injury that required Tommy John surgery, leading to him being out for all of 2024.
The Marlins were excited to have Alcantra back for 2025, but still recovering from injury, he had the worst year of his career— 11 wins, 12 losses and a 5.36 ERA.
Now, entering his age-30 season, it's fair to wonder how much Alcantra has left.