Where Marlins stand with a potential Alcantara move and his thoughts on the situation
He is the one proven jewel remaining on a team constructed largely around prospects, journeymen and players trying to find their way in the big leagues.
But you won’t hear a peep of resentment from Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara, the even-tempered 2022 Cy Young winner who patiently waits to see if he will follow more a half dozen other veterans out the door.
Alcantara, 29, is the most intoxicating name in baseball’s trade market rumor mill, factoring in his sterling career track record (3.34 career ERA) and an affordable contract that will pay him a modest (by MLB standards) $56 million through 2027. (He’s due $17.3 million in 2025 and 2026, with a $21 million team option in 2027.)
A source said last week that the Marlins haven’t decided whether to trade Alcantara, but they are in no rush to decide and have not ruled out keeping him this season if they remain as competitive as they have been during their 8-8 start. The thinking is that if they do decide to deal him, offers will be better in July than they will now.
In the meantime, Alcantara remains the model employee. He said neither he nor his agent has asked Marlins executives or ownership for clarity on where he stands. And he has no intention of asking top executive Peter Bendix for regular updates.
“We haven’t had any conversations with Peter about getting traded or something like that,” he said. “I’m here. If they’re going to make that decision, it’s on them. I’m just a player.”
He says he doesn’t expect to be consulted about trade partners and wouldn’t expect to be.
“I’m [just] a player,” he said. “If they want to trade me for a bag, they can trade me.”
While some Marlins through the years have asked to be dealt (Christian Yelich at the top of the list), Alcantara made clear he has no intention of requesting a trade and actually prefers to stay with Miami through another rebuild.
“I want to play here and win here,” he said.
Why so?
“This team gave me an opportunity to be a starting pitcher and be a superstar,” he said. “I signed here to stay here. I don’t want to say I don’t want to get traded because it’s a business. One day you’re here, next day you’re somewhere else.”
But does the trade possibility weigh on him?
“No stress; I don’t think about it,” he said. “If it happens, it happens. I’m here to compete and win a championship with the Marlins. It’s not something I’m worried about.”
Alcantara said Mets stars Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor have joked with him about getting traded, but neither they nor any other big-leaguer has told him that they will lobby their team to acquire him.
Though playing with other superstars would further increase his national profile from a marketing standpoint (and pad his wallet with potential playoff earnings), Alcantara finds something refreshing about competing with young players looking to establish a big-league foothold.
“You have a lot of young guys [here] that like to compete, hungry players who want to win,” he said. “When you are young, you know you have an opportunity and you have to take advantage of it. You have to show them you want to be here. We give a lot of opportunity to young people. They are hungry. We have a lot of talent.”
After missing a season following Tommy John surgery, Alcantara has had some rust, as to be expected. In 15 1/3 innings, Alcantara has a 4.70 ERA with 12 strikeouts and 10 hits and eight walks permitted. His velocity is down only slightly from pre-Tommy John surgery levels.
“The more times he gets back out there and he’s back into that five-day routine and getting starts back, we’ll continue to see the Sandy that everyone is accustomed to,” manager Clayton McCullough said.
In the meantime, Alcantara waits.
“It’s my hope to stay,” he said. “But it’s a business.”
If the Marlins trade Alcantara for a package including promising big-league-ready bats, Miami would still have plenty of promising young arms: Eury Perez, Max Meyer and prospects Thomas White, Adam Mazur, Robby Snelling, Noble Meyer, Dax Fulton and others, along with veterans Braxton Garrett (missing this season after elbow surgery), Ryan Weathers and Edward Cabrera, among others.
This story was originally published April 16, 2025 at 2:12 PM.
