This past offseason, one question surrounding the Miami Marlins was what they were going to do with their starting pitching. At the trade deadline last summer, the President of Baseball Operations, Peter Bendix, decided to hold onto all of his arms.
However, things changed this past offseason. It was only a matter of time before Bendix ended up trading some of his arms and cashing in on them. In January, Miami traded Edward Cabrera to the Chicago Cubs for a haul of prospects. Included in the return was Owen Caissie, one of the Cubs top prospects.
Shortly after trading Cabrera, the Marlins sent left-hander Ryan Weathers to the New York Yankees for another haul of prospects. That left Miami with Sandy Alcantara as the top arm to begin the 2026 season. However, you could make the case that he was the top arm that teams were coveting. He has remained in South Florida, but you get the feeling it’s only a matter of time before he’s moved. Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report believes it’ll be in the next couple of months.
Miami Marlins Predicted To Trade Sandy Alcantara By the Deadline
This season’s trade deadline by MLB has been pushed back to early August. That likely won’t change things as buyers will still be looking to add, while sellers will look to cash in. Miami and Bendix could cash in on a return for Alcantara, the 2022 Cy Young Award winner.
“This one is…kind of a no-brainer? Sandy Alcantara is in the final guaranteed year of his contract, and he and the Miami Marlins are in very different places,” Rymer wrote.
Different places would be an understatement. Miami is in fourth place in the National League East. They are just above the New York Mets. After making a surprise push for an NL wild-card spot in 2025, they just don’t seem to have the horses to make a run in 2026.
Therefore, selling high on Alcantara is what Bendix will likely do. Alcantara is a couple of years removed from Tommy John surgery and is working his way back to being a top-of-the-rotation starter. He has a 4.00 ERA in 11 starts this season, but that would be welcomed by a lot of teams.
Miami Marlins Would Have Plenty of Suitors for Sandy Alcantara
Rymer predicted that Alcantara would reunite with Cabrera in Chicago with the Cubs. However, how much do the Cubs have to give to Miami after handing over a nice haul of prospects back in January?
“How much time do you have? Because if it’s a question of which contenders need an above-average workhorse, the answer is usually “all of them. That said, the Padres and Chicago Cubs are succeeding in spite of threadbare rotations so far. And even though they’ve fallen behind in the AL East, the Blue Jays can rightfully see a big rotation addition as their potential salvation,” wrote Rymer.
San Diego is an intriguing option as they have surprised a lot of people by hanging around the top of the National League West Division with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Aside from the Cubs and Padres, there will be other suitors. It’ll just be who blows Bendix away enough to get a trade done.
Miami Marlins Predicted To Trade Cy Young Winner to NL Central Division Contender