The New York Yankees put together a loud, transformative offseason after Juan Soto's much-maligned decision to sign with the crosstown Mets. Then, before we could even get to Opening Day, Gerrit Cole experienced elbow pain and was slated for Tommy John surgery. It was a crushing blow for a team looking to rebound from its World Series defeat.
To their credit, the Yankees have held up fairly well without Cole, now 32-20 on the season and six games ahead of second-place Tampa Bay in the AL East. That offense is far from perfect, but when Aaron Judge is doing Aaron Judge things, the results tend to skew positive. Meanwhile, newcomer Max Fried might be the current AL Cy Young frontrunner in Cole's stead, which helps. A lot.
When it comes to potential improvements ahead of the trade deadline, the Yankees still need to look at the rotation. Fried is a true-blue No. 1 ace, and Carlos Rodón has turned back the clock in 2025, but Will Warren, Ryan Yarbrough and even Clarke Schmidt aren't names New York wants to depend on in the playoffs. Marcus Stroman and Luis Gil are both due back from the IL eventually, but neither feels especially reliable.
One popular name in the rumor mill, as outlined by MLB Trade Rumors, is Sandy Alcántara.
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Yankees shouldn't sell the farm for struggling Marlins ace Sandy Alcántara
Alcántara made his triumphant return to the Miami Marlins rotation this season after missing all of 2024 due to Tommy John surgery. The former Cy Young winner, who finished that fateful 2022 campaign with a 2.28 ERA in 228.2 innings pitched and an NL-leading 8.0 WAR, clearly possesses immense talent. He's still fairly young as well, just 29.
New York needs to tread carefully, though. Alcántara's return from Tommy John has not gone smoothly so far. He's up to an 8.04 ERA and 1.57 WHIP through 10 starts, netting 40 strikeouts in 47.0 innings on the mound. Those numbers feel falsely inflated — he's bound to settle in eventually, right? — but it's unclear how close Alcántara can get to those Cy Young heights of yesteryear.
Even his 2023 output prior to the injury was a mild disappointment relative to that majestic 2022 campaign. Yes, he ended up getting hurt, and perhaps Miami pushed him a little too far in that Cy Young run, but those concerns linger. Every player has a different career breaking point and Alcántara's metrics are down across the board.
Let's say you are supremely confident that this is merely a blip on the radar for Alcántara as he gets back up to speed. Well, he's under contract through 2026 at $17.3 million annually, with a club option for $21 million in 2027. That is great value if Alcántara returns to form, but it's flat-out bad value if he can't. Moreover, it puts greater strain on the Yankees front office, which already stretched its financial resources thin with its 2025 free agency exploits. We've heard Brian Cashman make a few too many budget-conscious comments over the years to feel good about New York's liquidity.
This just feels like too much of a risk for the Yankees, even if Alcántara can be had for pennies on the dollar in terms of prospect capital. New York needs stability in lieu of Gerrit Cole, not a volatile mystery box. We know Alcántara has the capacity for special production, but it's unclear how realistic that expectation is this season — or next.
As such, the Yankees should look for someone a bit more bankable to round out their pitching staff.