The Miami Marlins entered the 2025 MLB season knowing it would be a rebuilding year, while holding out hope that ace Sandy Alcantara would rebuild his trade value after missing the 2024 season. Unfortunately for Miami, the 29-year-old starting pitcher and trade candidate is having a disastrous year.
According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, multiple people around baseball still view Alcantara as the top MLB trade candidate this summer among pitchers despite his disastrous start to the season.
“He has not been good, but the stuff is still the same.”
MLB scout on Miami Marlins pitcher Sandy Alcantara
Related: Insider gives potential timeline for a Sandy Alcantara trade
- Sandy Alcantara stats (ESPN): 8.47 ERA< 1.67 WHIP, .279 batting average allowed, .826 OPS allowed, 40-29 K-BB, 56 hits allowed in 51 innings pitched
Entering MLB games today, the former NL Cy Young Award winner ranks 104th in strikeouts with the worst ERA and the third-worst WHIP among pitchers with 50-plus innings pitched. Alarmingly, the only two other pitchers with a 6.5-plus ERA both make half their starts at Coors Field.
It’s been a disastrous return to the mind since undergoing Tommy John surgery in October 2023. Alcantara still boasts outstanding fastball velocity (97.2 MPH), per Baseball Savant, but he is in the 24th percentile for Whiff rate (21.6 percent, the 12th percentile for expected ERA (5.30) and the 15th percentile for Barrel rate (9.7 percent) this season.
Related: MLB reporter questions if Sandy Alcantara will still be traded
- Sandy Alcantara contract (Spotrac): $17.3 million salary in 2025, $17.3M salary in 2026, $21 million club option for 2027
While he might still be coveted by clubs, Alcantara’s trade value has taken a significant hit. During negotiations, rival teams will also point to his 4.14 ERA and 1.21 WHIP in 2023 to suggest there are major concerns. All of this means that Miami will get much weaker offers. Given that trading Alcantara’s contract would further put Miami at risk of a grievance filed by the MLB Players Association, it’s possible he won’t be traded this summer without strong improvements on the mound.