With the Aug. 3 trade deadline approaching, the Marlins face a defining decision on Sandy Alcantara. A former Cy Young winner and clubhouse cornerstone, he could headline the market but Miami’s surprising playoff push has complicated whether they buy, sell, or stand pat.
The Miami Marlins are officially on the clock.
President of Baseball Operations Peter Bendix has 39 days to decide whether to keep their face of the franchise for the playoff run, or trade him away to maximize their return and continue building for the future. It's a decision that is increasingly difficult for them to make.
The Marlins went from leaving May on a five-game losing streak and the season in jeopardy to becoming one of baseball's hottest teams with a 15-5 record in June. The Marlins improved to 41-39 on the season after their 6-4 win over the Texas Rangers, and sit just a half-game out for the final National League Wild Card spot.
Alcantara passed Ricky Nolasco for most strikeouts in franchise history with 1,002. He finished his 6.2-inning outing with the final strikeout necessary to break the record, saying after the game, “Being a franchise leader is always great for me.”
“I’m very proud of myself and the way I’ve been growing in this organization,” Alcantara said of the milestone. “I’m very proud of the way this organization believes in me. They trust me, I trust them.”
What’s making it even more difficult, when it comes to trading Alcantara, it's more than just a baseball decision. Miami is not just letting go of the workhorse former Cy Young winner and franchise strikeout record holder.
They're letting go of a player loved by ownership, the front office, and one of the most respected and loved players in the clubhouse.
“The owner loves him, the GM, the front office loves him, the players love him,” Ken Rosenthal said on Foul Territory while adding he is there “heart and soul”.
The challenge for the Marlins will be not to trade him, considering Alcantara could be one of the most sought-after pitchers on the market at the trade deadline. At only 30, he is still capable of being an ace for a franchise.
And for the Marlins, the greatest return may come at this deadline. Why? Because his biggest value may be the time that comes with acquiring him.
Alcantara still has an additional year of team control left on his contract. If a team could acquire him, they would not only be getting a top-of-the-rotation starter, they would also be getting time. And in some cases, time can be more valuable than anything else.
The extra year allows a team to avoid having to negotiate a new contract immediately. It also gives the team time to see how the collective bargaining negotiations play out between MLB and MLBPA. The ability to acquire time and a player could make clubs more willing to part with a stronger package of prospects or even major league talent to acquire the Marlins' ace.
It's not just about the return. Ownership and the front office must be honest with themselves about what the maximum number they're willing to spend is to keep Alcantara in Miami long term. And even more important, whether that number is realistically high enough to keep him in free agency compared to what other teams may offer.
Because by not moving on, they're risking watching one of the franchise's most important players eventually leave with no return if they don’t get the deal done. They also risk a lower return next season if they decide to try to move him then.
If they are willing to take that risk, they also need to understand that an investment in roster upgrades will be required.
The problem: asking the Marlins ownership and front office to invest capital into the team to acquire talent is asking them to show something they have yet to do. The willingness to add payroll on win-now talent by possibly parting with young prospects or lower-cost players already on the roster is a strategy yet to be seen in Miami.
“We will see if Bendix is willing to trade younger players,” Rosenthal went on to add, “it will be a test for not just Bendix but ownership as well, what they're willing to take on.”
The clock is ticking toward August 3, and no bigger decision will need to be made for the Marlins to either keep or trade Sandy Alcantara at the deadline. It is a decision that will define the direction ownership and the front office want to move in this season, and the franchise moving forward.
For Miami, the pressure to decide has never been greater.
