The Miami Marlins are performing a little bit better than expected to start the 2025 season. Through their first 17 games, they are 8-9, which is a stark contrast from their 2024 start.
The expectation is that at the trade deadline, Miami will trade former Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara to a contending team for a haul of prospects.
Alcantara is not off to a very good start. This has led some to speculate that he might end up staying in Miami as a result.
However, Jim Bowden of The Athletic declared this to be an overreaction and stated that he believes Alcantara will indeed be traded when the time comes.
“Alcantara is returning after a long layoff, and it takes time for pitchers to regain their past form after Tommy John surgery. He feels great, doesn’t have any pain, and doesn’t have pitch limits. By June, I think he’ll be pitching like he did when he won the NL Cy Young Award in 2022, and come July, his trade value will make him the most coveted trade target in the sport,” Bowden predicted.
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“The Marlins will only trade him if they can bring back a haul, which they should be able to do if he can pitch at his accustomed level.”
Alcantara is 2-0 in his first three starts this season. However, he does have a 4.70 ERA. But that shouldn’t be too concerning.
As Bowden notes, pitchers coming back from Tommy John surgery often take a little bit of time to get back to normal. A perfect example of this is Adam Wainwright back in 2012, who didn’t find his groove until midway through the season.
After a while, Alcantara will more than likely be back to his old self, and that should astronomically increase his trade stock.
Alcantara is a two-time All-Star in addition to his 2022 Cy Young award. Miami’s asking price should be high given that he still has two years of team control left, plus a club option for 2027.
We’ll see if Bowden’s prediction comes true.
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