The Miami Marlins are off to a strong start this season. They lead the National League East by a half-game and are 6-3 through their first nine games of the season. They were not expected to contend this season, though they only finished four games out of the third NL wild card spot last season.
The biggest story out of Miami is right-hander Sandy Alcantara, who has yet to allow an earned run in his first two starts. He is in the final year of his contract with Miami, so there are still trade rumors.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today notes that Miami has a tough decision to make, but that most around the industry believe it’s clear which path they will chose with the right-hander.
“Alcantara’s five-year, $56 million contract expires after this season, but he has a $21 million club option or a $2 million buyout in 2027,” Nightengale wrote. “Rival executives still fully expect the Marlins to trade Alcantara, knowing they should have perhaps baseball’s most lucrative trade chip at the July 31 deadline.”
Miami Marlins Face Tough Sandy Alcantara Decision
The Marlins certainly are facing a tough decision with Alcantara. If they contend, then it is hard for them to justify trading him away, especially given the hot start he is off to.
On the flipside, if they are out of contention, then it would be hard for them to justify keeping him. They could bring back a strong haul of prospects from a contending team that is willing to overpay for him. But since his contract could expire at the end of the season, it is hard to imagine him not at least being on the trade block at the deadline.
The Marlins have a lot of leverage as a potential seller, and the expectation still seems to be that he will be traded. The Marlins do hold a club option, so they could hold onto him and exercise the option for 2027, while potentially waiting one more year to trade him.
It would be similar to what the Milwaukee Brewers did with Freddy Peralta, picking up his option for 2026, just to trade him to the New York Mets before the offseason came to a close. That would make sense for them, but the trade deadline this year is going to be very interesting because of the leverage the Marlins hold as a likely seller. Alcantara may be the top trade chip on the market.
Marlins Hold All the Cards
Whether or not Alcantara is traded depends on where the Marlins stand at the deadline. If they keep winning as they have been, then that likely means Alcantara will be off the market by July.
But it remains to be seen if Miami’s start to the season is sustainable. If they can’t sustain their success, then it would be hard to imagine them keeping Alcantara. Teams will be willing to pay a hefty price to land him, and that could bode well for the Marlins as they continue to look towards the future.
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