For months now, the Chicago Cubs have been connected to Miami Marlins veteran and former Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara as a possible trade deadline acquisition for Craig Counsell's team. The need for upgrades in the rotation have been dire with injuries to the likes of Justin Steele, among others, and Alcantara has finally been showing a return to dominant form with perfect timing leading up to the deadline after a disastrous start. The Cubs, however, still might want to look elsewhere after the right-hander's latest comments.
Alcantara made what could be his last start with the Marlins on Tuesday night, pitching five scoreless innings in a 5-0 win for Miami. After the game while speaking with the media, however, the veteran righty was asked about his name in trade rumors and his response was a bit alarming for the Cubs as a potential trade deadline buyer for his services on the mound, via Christina De Nicola of MLB.com.
ST. LOUIS – It was hard to tell whether the usually stoic Sandy Alcantara was getting emotional or just recovering from the elements following his last start before the Trade Deadline.
Alcantara went five scoreless innings in the Marlins’ 5-0 win over the Cardinals on Tuesday night at Busch Stadium. It was poetic that he shut down the organization that signed him as a teenager out of Azua, Dominican Republic, before sending him to Miami as the headliner in the return for All-Star outfielder Marcell Ozuna in December 2017.
"Nothing on my mind right now," Alcantara said. "Everyone knows — my teammates know, coaches, myself, my family know that I want to be here. But if something happens tonight, tomorrow, I don't know when it happens. Just got to control what I can control. Just be out there every fifth day here in Miami or somewhere else. I don't know."
On one hand, it's understandable for Alcantara to continue to show Miami love as that's where he's spent his entire major-league career. On the other hand, however, a team like the Cubs could certainly read that statement as a warning that the right-hander could be unhappy in his new home if a trade were to happen. And given the situation around such a trade, that's enough for Chicago to potentially explore other options more heavily.
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Sandy Alcantara all but forces Cubs to turn their trade deadline attention elsewhere
The Marlins are going to operate under the premise that they are trading 2.5 years of control with Alcantara left on the pitcher's contract. However, that's not necessarily a guarantee, because the 2027 year on the deal is a $21 million club option. While a team like the Cubs obviously would be the one making that option decision if they pulled off a trade at the deadline, it becomes a much more difficult decision than it should be if the former Cy Young winner is a malcontent after leaving Miami.
Furthermore, the inconsistency of Alcantara this season after returning from Tommy John surgery that caused him to miss all of the 2024 season adds to the complications of this. There is already a pretty substantial risk baked into trading with the Marlins for their ace because of that. So when you then throw in the fact that he doesn't appear to want to leave Miami, that makes such a call or move even riskier.
This isn't to say that the Cubs won't still pull the trigger on an Alcantara trade. However, the pitcher's comments ring a bit more buyer beware for Chicago or other interested parties than they would surely like for them to. And on that note, especially given the potential price to pay for Alcantara, the truth of the matter is that the Cubs might ultimately be in a better position to target other potential options.
Which pitchers could the Cubs trade for if not Sandy Alcantara?
If we follow the breadcrumbs with Alcantara and assume that the Cubs, like many other MLB contenders, would prefer a controllable starting pitcher over a rental, that really leaves two realistic options. Mitch Keller from the Pirates has been a consistent connection to Chicago, and Alcantara's Marlins teammate, Edward Cabrera, could also be in the mix.
Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that once-rumored options like Joe Ryan or Mackenzie Gore are going to be traded at the deadline, which would be the most ideal options (though also the most expensive, by far). So that would leave Keller or Cabrera in that realm of pitchers who could be part of the rotation beyond the rest of this season.
However, if something like Alcantara's comments ultimately scares the Cubs away of their top target — if that's what the Marlins ace is — then the rental market still has options. Merrill Kelly or Zac Gallen from the Diamondbacks, Dylan Cease from the Padres, and a bevy of others could come into focus.
One thing that's clear, however, is that Jed Hoyer needs to add a starter. Based on the comments after Tuesday night from the Marlins star, though, it might be wise to show some trepidation about making Alcantara the guy.