The early-season struggles of Miami Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara have thrown a wrench in the trade deadline outlook already.
Alcantara, even after undergoing Tommy John surgery last season, was a prized trade asset for the Marlins. He’s long been regarded as one of the best right-handed pitchers in the National League, and when right, he could fetch the organization a franchise-altering package in return. But given Alcantara’s long-term and team-friendly contract – a five-year, $56 million deal through 2026 with a $21 million club option for 2027 – the team can wait to move Alcantara until he’s pitching like an ace again ... even if that doesn't happen by July.
Which could possibly take the best option off the trade market. So, who might teams turn to?
Minnesota Twins right-hander Pablo Lopez looms as a possibility – and he’d make sense for the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers, specifically.
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Cubs, Dodgers need to be all-in for Pablo Lopez at the trade deadline
The Cubs’ pitching situation is more dire than the Dodgers'. Justin Steele is out for the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, and Shota Imanaga was recently removed from a start with hamstring tightness. Even before those injuries, Chicago's rotation needed reinforcements. That need is even more pressing now.
Besides, putting another upper-level starting pitcher into the Cubs’ rotation would make them even more dangerous come the postseason. Their offense, armed with Kyle Tucker and Pete Crow-Armstrong, has emerged as the best in baseball and is the talk of the industry. And with Tucker a free agent at the end of the season and no guarantee to return, now would be the time for Jed Hoyer to go all-in.
The Dodgers’ fit, meanwhile, is obvious. They love star players. They have learned in recent years that you can never have enough starting pitching. Injuries happen over the course of a 162-game season — and that has been the case with Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell both being on the Injured List despite the team sitting atop the NL West at 23-11.
But why would the Twins even consider trading Lopez?
They’re off to a disastrous start, going 15-20 and sitting in fourth place in the American League Central. The franchise has looked to shed payroll for some time as their ownership situation remains unsettled, and moving on from his four-year, $73.5 million contract could allow the front office to pour resources into different areas of the roster.
Still, the 29-year-old Lopez is among the best pitchers in baseball. In five starts this season, he’s recorded a 2.25 ERA and a 26/4 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He’s posted a 3.86 ERA in eight seasons in the Majors and has started 32 games in each of the last three seasons, so he’s plenty durable for a contending team.
If Lopez is made available at the deadline, and that possibility is very real with the Twins sliding, there will be plenty of teams competing for his services. But the Cubs and Dodgers stand out as early possibilities for the star right-hander.