It’s never too early to look at potential MLB trade deadline acquisitions. That’s exactly what Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer did with Miami Marlins right-handed starter Sandy Alcántara.
On March 14, Rymer named the New York Mets one of the top potential landing spots for Alcántara. But with the Mets, Rymer argued New York should be interested in acquiring Alcántara as soon as possible.
Rymer proposed the Mets trade their top two prospects — right-handed pitcher Brandon Sproat and shortstop Jett Williams — to the Marlins for Alcántara.
“If the Mets were to get serious about realizing their World Series dreams, this is the kind of sacrifice they’d have to be ready to make for Alcantara. And, to be sure, it’s one that president of baseball operations David Stearns would probably rather not make,” wrote Rymer.
Alcántara, who has made nearly $39 million during his six-year MLB career, won the 2022 National League Cy Young award. The right-hander went 14-9 with a 2.28 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 207 strikeouts in a league-leading 228.2 innings that season. Alcántara also led the NL with six complete games.
Why the Mets Need Help in Starting Rotation
New York’s NL team were big spenders in MLB free agency this winter, increasing the team playoff to $330 million.
But the Mets are potentially susceptible to a disappointing start to the 2025 campaign because of injuries in their starting rotation. Frankie Montas could be sidelined for more than two months while Sean Manaea will be out to start the season as well.
Rymer argued the Mets should be more proactive in replacing those two starters.
“Even after losing Frankie Montas to a lat strain and Sean Manaea to an oblique strain, the Mets were reportedly uninterested in adding pitching.
“Well, they should be,” wrote Rymer.
“Manaea should be back in April, but it likely won’t be until May or June when Montas is back on the mound. In the meantime, the surest thing in their rotation is…Peterson? Senga made one start last year and Holmes is a converted reliever.
“It’s not an ideal rotation scenario for any team, least of all one with a $330 million payroll and its eyes squarely on a trip to the World Series.”
Without Montas and Manaea, the Mets are set to begin 2025 with Kodai Senga and Clay Holmes as their top two starters. Those two pitchers have high upside but are inexperienced.
As Rymer explained, the Mets’ most reliable starter to begin this season could be David Peterson. But the lefty has never thrown more than 121 innings in an MLB season.
How Sandy Alcántara Could Help
One could argue Alcántara isn’t the right fit for the Mets. Coming off Tommy John surgery, which ruled out Alcántara for all of 2024, the right-hander is potentially another high-upside, low floor starter.
Alcántara also wasn’t elite in 2023, the season after he won the Cy Young. During that summer, he went 7-12 with a 4.14 ERA, 1.213 WHIP and 151 strikeouts in 184.2 innings.
But Alcántara is still a safe choice from an innings perspective. He tossed at least 180 innings every year from 2019-23 (except the COVID-19 shortened 2020 campaign).
If healthy, Alcántara can provide the Mets rotation stability. The right-hander would also have as much upside as anyone else the Mets already have in the rotation.
Alcántara is 41-55 with a 3.32 ERA in his career. He’s also posted a 1.157 WHIP and 3.77 FIP in 900.2 career innings.
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