MLB News: Insider Details What Execs Want From Sandy Alcantara Before Trade

The Miami Marlins are sitting on a potential gold mine in veteran right-hander Sandy Alcantara. The former National League Cy Young Award winner is six starts into his comeback season from Tommy John surgery, and the Marlins are occupying a predictable place in the standings: 12-18, fifth place in the NL East.

Alcantara's six starts haven't gone as well as either he or the Marlins were hoping. In 26 innings pitched, the two-time All-Star is 2-3 with an 8.31 ERA and 1.654 WHIP.

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Alcantara's 19.8 strikeout percentage is well below the 23.6 percent average he sustained from 2021-23. Opponents have a .693 OPS against him and are hitting the ball harder (40.5 percent) than they have in any full season of his career.

Alcantara trade rumors will continue to fly for a simple reason: he's still young enough (29 years old) to fulfill the potential he flashed early in his career, and the Marlins could benefit from acquiring younger players farther away from free agency via trade.

Pitchers typically need time to return to their pre-Tommy John form after the ligament replacement procedure, and Alcantara has earned the patience of his employer — whether that's the Marlins or another team.

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Before a contending team poses a palatable trade offer to Miami, however, rivals need to see something first. ESPN's Buster Olney explained why on the latest episode of the Baseball Tonight podcast.

"I've had this conversation with executives: they want to see something," Olney said. "They want to see some sign that he's capable of being Sandy of the past.

"For example, when you look at his production in his great years with the Marlins with his changeup, it was extraordinary. It was one of the most valuable pitches in all of baseball and it's now a negative pitch for him. You mentioned the command: teams are going to want to see something before they invest heavily."

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MLB's trade deadline is July 31. If Alcantara changes teams this season, expect it to happen closer to the deadline rather than earlier.

Olney added that rival GMs "are not going to invest in (Alcantara) until they see signs of, 'OK we think he's going to build on *this* going forward.' To this point we haven't seen that. It can only be 2 or 3 games, but there have to be some positive results before a team would invest in him."

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