It's taken a bit longer than anyone could've expected, but Miami Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara appears to be finally settling in. Better late than never, we suppose, especially with the MLB's July 31 trade deadline on the horizon.
Alcantara's gem in Miami's 3-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates was his second consecutive quality start. He struck out six batters and allowed only three hits over six scoreless innings to earn win No. 3 on the year. The hard-throwing righty was once touted as the crown jewel of this deadline as he made his return from Tommy John surgery, and after a tough start to the year, he's reminded everyone of over his last two starts.
Rival executives across the league must now ask themselves: Is this a flash in the pan? Or has Alcantara returned to his pre-surgery, Cy Young form? The answers to those questions seemed obvious before the calendar flipped to June, but front offices may have to re-evaluate their priors.
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Sandy Alcantara is inching closer to his former Cy Young self, which could have massive trade deadline implications
Back in April, USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported that the Marlins planned to "hang onto [Alcantara] until the final days" of the deadline. Well, Miami's being rewarded for its patience. Rather than selling low on the two-time All-Star early, they allowed him to restore his value, which could prove to pay dividends in the long run.
While Alcantara still isn't striking batters out at the rate we've become accustomed to, he's getting his command back. The southpaw's walk percentage in 2025 (11.0) is almost twice his career mark (7.7) and well above the MLB average (8.5). Nonetheless, we've only seen him surrender a combined two bases on balls over his past two outings.
Sure, you can argue that Alcantara has been the beneficiary of some weak competition, considering he's faced bottom-feeders like the Pirates and Colorado Rockies. But being productive against inferior opponents is better than nothing, or even worse, struggling in easy get-right opportunities. After all, Alcantara struggled against the lowly Chicago White Sox not too long ago. It's unfair to knock the 29-year-old for matters beyond his control, such as scheduling. Besides, since when has handling business on the mound become a bad thing?
Signed through 2026 and carrying a $21 million team option for 2027, Alcantara presents more than a rental, and his track record speaks for itself. He's getting back on track after a rocky start to the 2025 campaign, giving potential suitors something to think about in the coming weeks.
Prime Sandy Alcantara would vault to the top of the starting pitcher market
Nothing is more in demand during deadline season than starting pitching, but this is shaping up to be very much a sellers market. There simply aren't that many quality rotation options for contenders to choose from, especially if the Arizona Diamondbacks keep playing well and decide to hold on to one or both of Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly.
Pretty soon, teams looking to upgrade (of which there will be many, from the Chicago Cubs to the Los Angeles Dodgers to the Detroit Tigers) will be down to the likes of the Los Angeles Angels' Tyler Anderson, the Pittsburgh Pirates' Andrew Heaney or the Colorado Rockies' Kyle Freeland. In that context, an Alcantara throwing the ball anything like the way he did pre-injury would stand alone, especially considering his team-friendly contract.
All of which should put the Marlins in the driver's seat. This team clearly isn't going to be able to contend at any point during the remainder of Alcantara's deal; moving him is the obvious choice, so long as he continues to at least flirt with his prior form.