The Miami Marlins will not be moving NL Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara this offseason. The 27-year-old starter is under team control through at least the 2026 season and is relatively cheap in comparison of what he brings to the table for the small-market team.
With that said, Miami is openly looking to move another starter or two in order to find more help at the plate.
According to Jon Heyman of the NY Post, Miami will listen to offers for the likes of Pablo Lopez, Jesus Luzardo and Edward Cabrera. These names are somewhat surprising in that each starter is under 27 years old and find themselves under team control for multiple years.
With that said, Miami wants to round out its roster after an ugly 69-win season in which the team hit just .230 with a .658 OPS. Under new manager Skip Schumaker, the idea is to find more hitters at the cost of Miami’s surplus of starters.
Related: Updated MLB offseason rumors
Potential Pablo Lopez trade scenarios from the Miami Marlins
At just 26 and under team control for the next three seasons, Lopez will be an attractive name on the trade block. He has plus-level stuff and has proven to be a pretty good middle-of-the-rotation arm in Miami.
- Pablo Lopez stats (2022): 10-10 record, 3.75 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 174 strikeouts in 180 innings
Lopez’ market won’t be limited to large-market teams. Rather, contenders in mid-tier markets will have interest in him given his team-friendly deal. The Minnesota Twins come to mind as a potential landing spot. The same thing can be said for the Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres out west. It’ll be all about Miami getting major-league ready talent in the form of hitters.
Related: Top 45 MLB free agents of 2022-23
Edward Cabrera and Jesus Luzardo are also attractive Miami Marlins arms
Miami’s willingness to trade young arms shouldn’t be considered too much of a surprise. Its No. 2 prospect, pitcher Max Meyer, had a cup of coffee with the team last season. He will take one of the Marlins’ rotation spots in 2023. No. 1 prsoepct, Eury Perez, also isn’t too far from the Bigs.
As for these two pitchers mentioned above, Cabrera might receive the most interest. The 24-year-old Dominican Republic native pitched to a 6-4 record with a 3.01 ERA and 1.07 WHIP while striking out 75 batters in 71.2 innings. This represented his first consistent action in MLB after starting seven games back in 2021.
Luzardo is also an intriguing name in that he was once one of the top prospects in baseball as he made his way up through the Oakland Athletics’ system. With that said, injuries had derailed his career leading up to 2022. He responded in 2022 by pitching to a 3.32 ERA and 1.04 WHIP while striking out 120 batters in just 100.1 innings. Luzardo is also just 25 years old and finds himself under team control through the 2026 season.