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The Miami Marlins were a team to watch at the Major League Baseball trade deadline. However, they were largely quiet when it came to making moves. Miami's biggest trade came when the team sent Jesus Sanchez to the Houston Astros. Thursday's inactivity came as a surprise when teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers had interest in Sandy Alcantara and Edward Cabrera.
Alcantara was one of the top pitching assets available at the MLB trade deadline, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniels. However, the Marlins did not receive a trade offer they deemed good enough to deal him away. With the emergence of Cabrera, Miami could have traded both for decent to great returns. The fact they they didn't could come back to bite them.
The Marlins enter their weekend series against the New York Yankees at 52-65. While that record is far from the worst in MLB, Miami's chances at a spot in the National League playoffs are slim to none. Because of their struggles, the list of sellers at the MLB trade deadline featured the Marlins. However, their front office had different thoughts while navigating the trade deadline.
With Sanchez the only real subtraction from the roster, it looks like Miami is convinced it has what it needs to contend. It won't happen this season, though. However, young Marlins stars like Kyle Stowers have given the team bright moments during the regular season. In their eyes, Alcantara is a key piece to the next competitive team Miami puts onto the field.
However, not trading him when his value was near its peak is a big miscalculation. Better on your own players to rebound is not bad, but refusing to trade them away for future assets is a risk. Here is why the Marlins should have traded Alcantara.
Alcantara is not getting any younger
Alcantara won the NL Cy Young Award back in 2022. In that season, he was one of the best pitchers MLB had seen in a few years. However, Tommy John surgery cut Alcantara's 2023 season short and kept him out throughout 2024. Since the procedure, the former All-Star simply is not the same pitcher. His struggles so far this season are a clear example of his decline in production.
Alcantara's numbers are far from the worst in MLB. However, his ERA is by far the worst of any of Miami's starters. Cabrera was on a tear before the deadline, leading teams to value him more than his teammate at the MLB trade deadline. Struggling starters staying on their teams was an intriguing trend that defined Thursday's activity. Despite that, the Marlins should have moved him.
The odds of Alcantara returning to his dominant form are simply not good. If Miami can't accept that and try to move on, the team is in trouble. Part of doing business in MLB is knowing when to flip veterans before they start to head downhill. The Marlins had a chance to get ahead of it and decided against it. They might not see it now, but that call has big implications on their future.
Miami has prospects on their major league team and in the minor leagues with promise. Stowers represented the Marlins in the All-Star Game. Cabrera and Eury Perez represent the future of Miami's rotation after they both survived the MLB trade deadline. Now, the biggest question sitting in front of the Marlins is how veterans like Alcantara fit into the mix.
Alcantara had interest from teams around MLB
The Dodgers topped the list of teams interested in Alcantara. The fact that Los Angeles dumped Dustin May on the Boston Red Sox hurts even more. In a perfect world, Miami could have gotten a young pitcher to take Alcantara's spot in the rotation. Instead the team has to explain their plan to their fans and convince them that the team is heading in the right direction.
Alcantara's value fluctuated depending on which team looked at him. Squads like the San Diego Padres and Dodgers viewed him as a rental they could bring in to help them win the World Series this season. Other squads could have brought him in to sell him on their team before he enters free agency this winter. Instead of that, the Marlins risk losing him for nothing.
Miami's future is not the darkest in the league. However, Alcantara remaining on the roster robs them of young talent. At minimum, the former Cy Young Award winner would have cost at least two top-line prospects from a contender's farm system. Despite what other teams were getting after selling their starters, the Marlins stood pat, committing to the next few months.
Making any deal at the MLB trade deadline is a risk. However, teams that chose to sell do so knowing that. If Miami's front office did not want to roll those dice, that is their prerogative. However, not trading Alcantara puts the team in a position where he needs to deliver for it to not be a mistake. If he doesn't improve or gets injured, the Marlins are in an extremely difficult spot.
