The Boston Red Sox are on the rise, having traded for White Sox ace Garrett Crochet and signed Alex Bregman to a three-year contract, among other measures geared at interrupting their three-year winning streak.500 or worse. On the other hand, the Miami Marlins are in the midst of a near-constant rebuild, having dealt Marcell Ozuna, Christian Yelich, Giancarlo Stanton, Tanner Scott, Jazz Chisholm Jr., and Luis Arraez over the last seven years.
Marlins’ 2022 Cy Young champion, is poised to return to domination after missing the entire year of 2024 due to his second Tommy John surgery. Alcantara pitched one inning in Spring Training, allowing one hit and reaching 99 mph, as he prepares for his seventh career Opening Day start.
With five years and $56 million remaining on his contract, the Marlins were adamant on keeping Alcantara this winter, hoping that an influx of young talent would propel them into contention. However, Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller believes Alcantara will be traded to the Boston Red Sox at the trade deadline.
“The Miami Marlins were adamant from the outset that they had no intentions of trading away Sandy Alcántara this offseason, and they have thus far stuck by that,” Miller wrote. He added that they might have done so because they did not want “lowball offers for a recent Cy Young winner who is coming off of an even more recent Tommy John surgery.”
A variety of circumstances may make an Alcantara trade to Boston more likely, including a strong first half that results in an offer the Marlins can’t refuse, or a team like the Red Sox suffering injuries to rotation players such as Walker Buehler or Lucas Giolito.
Alcantara has a 2.89 ERA in 16 career appearances versus AL East clubs, but trading for the former Cy Young winner might propel the Red Sox into contention in a packed division.
