The Miami Marlins are 22-30. The trade deadline is two months out. Sandy Alcantara is back to looking like his old self after a slow start, and rival executives expect Miami to move him.
Per Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer, the most likely landing spot is the Chicago Cubs. The Padres and Blue Jays are right behind. The deadline could turn into the Sandy Alcantara sweepstakes.
Why Miami Is Going to Move Him
The Marlins say they want to keep him. That is what every team says when their best trade asset is on the block. The reality is that Alcantara is 30, owed $17 million this year and $21 million on a club option for 2027, and pitching for a team that has no realistic path to October.
Rival executives have been telling reporters for months that they expect Alcantara to move. Miami’s front office has been gathering offers without confirming intentions. That is the dance. It ends with a press release in late July.
The Marlins also have an organizational problem. Their farm system has been rebuilt but is still middle-of-the-pack. Trading Alcantara for two top-100 prospects pushes the system back into the top 10. That matters for a small-market team that has to rebuild every five years.
Alcantara’s Stock
Alcantara has been okay this year. He is 3-2 with a 3.53 ERA in 63.2 innings. He has 45 strikeouts. The peripherals are not great. His FIP is north of 4.00. His velocity is down a tick from his Cy Young year.
That said, he is the former Cy Young winner. He is durable. He is in the prime years. The next team to get him will have him for two playoff runs if they pick up the 2027 option. That is the kind of asset every contender wants.
Why the Cubs Make Sense
Chicago is two games up in the NL Central. The rotation is good but not deep. Imanaga has been excellent. Justin Steele is in line for his usual second-half push. After that the staff thins out fast.
Adding Alcantara gives the Cubs a Game 1 starter for the playoffs. He fits the front office’s profile of acquiring established arms over chasing the high-ceiling young guys. Jed Hoyer has been patient. He has the prospect capital to make the move. The price tag is two top-50 names, and the Cubs have those names.
The other angle is that the Cubs need to win now. Pete Crow-Armstrong is a star. Michael Busch is breaking out. The window is opening. Alcantara is the move that turns Chicago from a 90-win team into a 95-win team.
The Other Suitors
San Diego is always involved. A.J. Preller’s specialty is acquiring veteran arms at the deadline. The Padres are not in their usual contention spot this year, but they have been buying anyway. Alcantara would slot in at the top of a rotation that needs help.
Toronto is the other live bidder. The Blue Jays have been the most aggressive AL team this offseason. They have a small championship window before Vladdy and Bichette hit free agency. Pairing Alcantara with whoever they get out of the Skubal sweepstakes would give them the deepest rotation in baseball.
The Verdict
Alcantara gets moved. The Cubs are the most likely buyer, but the Blue Jays could outbid them. The price will be two top-100 prospects and a major league piece. The trade happens between July 25 and the August 3 deadline.
Miami starts another rebuild. The Cubs make their World Series push. Sandy Alcantara pitches in October for the first time since the COVID year. Everyone wins except whoever has to face Chicago in the NLCS.
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.
