Will Marlins Trade Alcantara? Other Teams See Opening

There are three certainties in life: death, taxes, and trade rumors surrounding Sandy Alcantara.

But is this the year the rumors finally come to fruition, and Alcantara is dealt before the trade deadline?

According to major league teams, it is. And with the belief intensifying across baseball front offices, the question now appears to be when the move will happen, not if it will happen. Alcantara would be one of the top pitchers available at the deadline, and the buzz surrounding a potential trade comes from USA Today's Bob Nightengale.

In Nightengale's recent Around the Basepaths column, he wrote, “Teams are convinced that this is the year that the Marlins will trade ace Sandy Alcantara.” With a $21 million club option for the 2027 season, Alcantara becomes even more appealing because he is not just a rental for interested clubs.

The Miami Marlins are the hottest team in baseball, having won 10 of their last 13 games and sit two games out of a Wild Card spot. Yet despite playing their best baseball in years, the Marlins may still be willing to move on from one of their top pitchers.

The Marlins have a decision to make. Is it worth trading Alcantara because the return could accelerate the organization's future goals, even if it signals to fans that the front office is more concerned about tomorrow than competing today?

And while fans were hoping that the team's contention status meant Ken Rosenthal would be right and that the Marlins would look to add rather than sell one of their key arms, that might not be the case.

Back in May, when rumors first began to circulate, Rosenthal didn't think a deal was certain, stating, “Is Sandy a goner? Maybe not, and as long as the team remains in contention, a trade of Alcantara would send the wrong message.”

Alcantara is coming off a start on Friday in which he went eight innings, throwing 102 pitches, 70 of them for strikes, while allowing only three runs. In the game, Alcantara also recorded his 1,000th strikeout for Miami. In six of his last eight outings, he has gone at least six innings and ranks second in Major League Baseball in innings pitched, trailing only Cristopher Sánchez of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Whether the Marlins remain in contention or not, Alcantara's risk-to-reward ratio may never be this high again. Trading the face of your pitching rotation carries significant risk, but the potential return of multiple high-end prospects or major-league-ready players could be too much to pass up.

The fact that Alcantara remains under team control beyond this season, while other top pitchers such as the Detroit Tigers' Tarik Skubal and the Arizona Diamondbacks' Corbin Burnes are headed for free agency after the year, may make the Marlins' ace the more attractive option. That extra year of club control for a proven workhorse and former Cy Young Award winner could entice teams to pay a little more.

By not trading him, the Marlins could find themselves in a situation similar to the one the Tigers face with Skubal. If Skubal reaches free agency after the season and the Tigers are unable to sign him to an extension or choose not to trade him because of an underwhelming offer, they risk losing him with little to show for it. Do the Marlins want to risk finding themselves in that same situation next season?

Do the Marlins now see Alcantara as expendable?

The Marlins have not shown a willingness to spend, currently sitting at the bottom of Major League Baseball in payroll at just over $80 million. They also understand that any deal would need to be completed sooner rather than later. With several young pitchers in their minor league system appearing close to making the jump to the major leagues, the timing may make sense.

The combination of Miami's reluctance to spend, its young talent, and Alcantara's trade value will only continue to fuel rumors as the deadline approaches.

As it does, Miami owner Bruce Sherman, President of Baseball Operations Peter Bendix and General Manager Gabe Kapler will have to decide whether Alcantara remains the face of the franchise or becomes the centerpiece of a deal that could alter the organization's future. Fortunately, we won't have to wait much longer to find out the answer.

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