Yankees could be closing in on trade for Marlins high-upside pitcher

“Sandy Alcantara of the Marlins has a legitimate shot of being traded to the New York Yankees.”

That sentence from Jim Bowden of The Athletic is enough to make you spill your drink if you have been paying attention to the medical reports coming out of the Bronx lately. It is no secret that the New York Yankees are actively looking to add another starting pitcher this offseason. They don’t have a choice.

The rotation is currently held together by duct tape and prayers. You have the ace, Gerrit Cole, still rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. Then you have Carlos Rodon, who is expected to miss the first few months of the 2026 regular season. To make matters worse, Clarke Schmidt is set to miss most, if not all, of next year as well. Stabilizing the unit seems like a good move.

The unit is full of potential, but usually injuries strike before the Yankees are ever able to see things come to fruition.

New York Yankees Rotation Decimated by Injuries

The front office has already been linked to star Japanese starter Tatsuya Imai as a potential savior. But pivoting to a trade target like Alcantara suggests they are looking for a specific type of distressed asset. Alcantara is trending in the wrong direction, but he brings a resume that forces you to look twice.

The 30-year-old is coming off a rough campaign where he posted a 5.36 ERA over 174.2 innings. The surface numbers are ugly. He sported a 61.9% left on base rate and a 46.5% ground ball rate, which tells you he was letting guys on and struggling to clean up the mess. The most concerning part is the lack of swing-and-miss stuff. His strikeout rate is way down and he is simply not generating many whiffs anymore. For a team that plays in a bandbox like Yankee Stadium, a pitcher who relies on contact and can’t miss bats is a terrifying proposition.

Yankees could be closing in on trade for Marlins high-upside pitcher — Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Sandy Alcantara Gamble Offers Velocity and Volatility

However, there is a reason Bowden is linking him to New York. The raw tools are still enticingly present. Alcantara still ranks well with his fast velocity, sitting in the 91st percentile while averaging 97.4 mph. The gas is there, even if the location or the movement isn’t fooling anyone right now.

The Yankees would be simply adding an innings filler with upside to spare. You have to remember that Alcantara missed all of 2024 due to injury. Despite that gap, he has tossed over 170 innings in four of his last five years. He is a workhorse when he is upright. There is legitimate hope he can turn back the clock and start a trend in a better direction, especially now that he is one year removed from that serious elbow injury.

Brian Cashman Hunting for Discounted Innings

The finances make this a classic Brian Cashman maneuver. Alcantara is heading toward the back end of a five-year, $56 million deal that includes a 2027 club option. That is an incredibly favorable contract for a guy who has a Cy Young pedigree, even if it feels like a lifetime ago.

With that being said, it would be interesting to see what the Yankees would have to give up for a player with his stuff but obvious volatility. They need someone to eat innings while Cole and Rodon get healthy. Alcantara fits the bill of a high-risk, high-reward lottery ticket. If he rediscovers his form, it is a heist. If he continues to pitch to a 5.36 ERA, at least he saves the bullpen from total collapse.

The Yankees are shopping in the bargain bin for an ace, hoping the label is just peeled off rather than the goods being expired.

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