The main complaint about the Baltimore Orioles this season is the lack of moves from the front office to build around their young stars, such as infielder Jackson Holliday.
As a result, the team is sitting in last place in the AL East, but not too far out of the Wild Card picture. But, the team needs to start prioritizing bring in some big names to help contend before they have to pay Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, and Holliday.
It seems the Orioles have their eyes on one talent, but this player is far from picture perfect.
ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan ranked the Top 50 trade deadline candidates.
Miami Marlins starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara is listed as the fourth-best trade deadline target with 50-percent odds. The Orioles were listed as a best fit, but not just at the trade deadline, but potentially during the winter.
“Alcantara was arguably the best pitcher in baseball in 2022, winning the NL Cy Young unanimously. He was more solid than spectacular in 2023 and missed 2024 with Tommy John surgery. He has been tinkering this season to try to get his pitch mix and locations right in hopes of regaining his former glory. His 7.14 ERA is unsightly, and with the Marlins still valuing him as a top starter, they could hold on to him until the winter, when teams such as the Baltimore Orioles would be more inclined to acquire him and the final two years of his contract,” write McDaniel and Passan.
Orioles listed as potential trade landing spot for Sandy Alcantara, but is that their best target?
As Passan and McDaniel note, Alcantara could very well be a player the Orioles target during the offseason, when his contract has just two years remaining. The Marlins want a lot to trade away their ace and former Cy Young Award winner.
The thing with Alcantara is that he’s in the midst of a horrendous season with the Marlins. This is Alcantara’s first season pitching since 2023, as he missed all of 2024 due to Tommy John surgery. The results haven’t been great thus far.
Alcantara had a rough first two months, posting a 9.28 ERA in April and a 8.64 ERA in May. But in June, it appeared that Alcantara had returned to his Cy Young form, posting a 4.34 ERA, a 1.14 WHIP, and a 2-1 win-loss record in five starts. But then, Alcantara fell back down, owning a 7.94 ERA in three starts.
Overall, Alcantara recorded a 7.14 ERA, a 1.49 WHIP, a 4-9 win-loss record, 73 strikeouts, and 39 walks in 97.0 innings (19 starts). To make matters worse, opposing hitters are batting .275 against him. That’s, not great at all.
The Orioles let a certified ace leave this past winter in Corbin Burnes. If they were to replace him with Alcantara, where it would likely cost a combination of top prospects to bank on potential, it could very well set them back further.
That’s not ideal, especially if the Orioles want to put their young stars in a position to contend in the near future.
Alcantara is just too much of a gamble, as we don’t know if he can be a shutdown ace, especially for a team like Baltimore.
