Miami Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix publicly addressed the elephant in the room. Trade rumors surrounding ace Sandy Alcántara linger, and he had an opportunity to end the scuttlebutt once and for all presented itself. Instead, his comments only exasperated the uncertainty.
Speaking with reporters before Miami's 5-4 extra-inning victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates, Bendix didn't say the club is shopping Alcántara or will be open to. However, he mostly danced around the topic, or at least put it off until we get deeper into the 2025 MLB campaign.
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Marlins president Peter Bendix refuses to deny Sandy Alcantara trade rumors just days into the 2025 MLB season
"It's not even April, so I understand where the questions are coming from," Bendix stated (h/t Christina De Nicola of MLB.com). "But until we get to the point of even considering trades, it's not really something that I have much to comment on."
Bendix suggests he hasn't thought much about parting ways with Alcántara, if at all. But if that's the message he wanted to convey, it could've been done in a more definitive tone. His response and reasoning were rather vague, deflecting to the former Cy Young winner's highly anticipated return from Tommy John surgery.
"... it's really great to see Sandy [Alcantara] looking healthy ... normal," Bendix declared.
Yes, Alcantara is back on the mound after sitting out all of 2024 due to a sprained UCL in his right (throwing) elbow, which is awesome. But would it have killed Bendix to add something like: "We're looking forward to seeing him in a Marlins uniform for years to come?"
Moreover, Bendix is ostensibly in no rush to make any hasty decisions regarding Alcántara, voicing that "it's [only] Game of 3 of the season." What if it were mid-June? Does that change things? What does the league's calendar have to do with this?
Despite it being early in the year, Bendix backtracked his thought process by not ruling out the possibility of a deal. Whether it be Alcántara or another player, the Marlins are available for business, assuming the price is right.
"We're always open to anything that is going to make our organization better," Bendix expressed.
Signed through 2026 with a $17.3 million annual salary and a $21 million club option for 2027, Alcántara remains under team control. But Bendix's remarks indicate his future in Miami is fluid and subject to change.