While Tarik Skubal soaks up the spotlight, there is another front-line starter who could move at the deadline, and one executive thinks he is a steal. Sandy Alcantara of the Miami Marlins is shaping up as one of the more attractive trade targets in baseball.
The appeal is about more than just the arm. Alcantara comes with a $21 million club option for 2027, which gives an acquiring team the kind of control that is hard to find at the deadline. An NL executive called him ‘a pretty good bargain’ given the sky-high price of free-agent starting pitching.
That control is the whole ballgame. Renting a starter for two months costs a fortune in prospects. Getting one you can keep for another season changes the calculus entirely.
Why the Control Matters So Much
Starting pitching is the most expensive commodity in baseball, and the free-agent market for arms has gotten absurd. Teams are paying enormous sums for pitchers with question marks. Against that backdrop, a former Cy Young winner with a club option looks like a genuine value.
An acquiring team would not just be adding a playoff starter. They would be locking in a rotation piece for 2027 at a price that, in today’s market, qualifies as a discount. That is exactly the kind of deal smart front offices love.
The Marlins, as a perennial seller, have every reason to listen. Miami is not built to contend right now, and flipping Alcantara for a package of young talent fits their long-term approach. If the price is right, they should move him.
The Deadline Is Loaded
Alcantara is one of several intriguing names floating around. Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams and Twins right-hander Joe Ryan have appeared on executives’ lists. Controllable starters on underperforming teams, like Zack Wheeler, Seth Lugo, and Michael Wacha, could also be in play.
Add in the Skubal sweepstakes and a potential Giants fire sale, and this deadline has the makings of a blockbuster summer. Contenders looking for pitching are going to have options, which is rare.
For my money, Alcantara is the most interesting target outside of Skubal. The combination of upside and team control makes him a fit for almost any contender, and the bargain framing only adds to the appeal.
If a smart team wants to win now and stay good next year, Alcantara is the name to circle. The Marlins just have to decide what he is worth.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
