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Yankees predicted to acquire Sandy Alcantara
The New York Yankees need to add pitching, and the team could go after one of the top names available.
Sandy Alcanatara’s name has come up in trade rumors for over a year now. This season could be the time the Miami Marlins actually move him. Should Alcantara be available, Yankees insider Pete Caldera of NorthJersey.com predicts New York will acquire him for a package of Will Warren and Bryce Cunningham, and potentially more.
“Will Warren and pitching prospect Bryce Cunningham are part of a late July trade package to Miami in exchange for Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara,” Caldera wrote.
Alcanatra would immediately bolster the Yankees’ rotation. Alcantara could slide as the fourth starter by mid-summer behind Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, and Carlos Rodon. That would give the Yankees a stellar four-man rotation for the playoffs.
Alcantara won the NL Cy Young Award in 2022 and is a two-time MLB All-Star. However, he did struggle last season as he went 11-12 with a 5.36 ERA in 31 starts. Alcantara is in the final year of his deal, but does have a club option for 2027 at $21 million.
In return, the Yankees would give up Warren. He projects to be a fourth or fifth starter for New York this season. Warren went 9-8 with a 4.44 ERA in 33 starts as the 26-year-old finished his first full season in the majors.
New York would also give up Cunningham, who’s the Yankees’ fifth-ranked prospect. The right-handed pitcher was selected in the second round in 2024 and spent his first pro season in High A.
Marlins May Not Move Alcantara
Alcantara’s name has been involved in trade rumors for quite some time, but nothing has happened.
In late December, Marlins insider Barry Jackson reported on X that Miami is unlikely to trade Alcantara unless a trade offer blows them away.
“Marlins will listen on Cabrera, but 2 suitors (Houston, Baltimore) are no longer involved and Marlins don’t want to sell short on him. They want to keep Alcantara (would have to take an incredible offer to even consider a deal), per source,” Jackson wrote.
Miami not being open to trading Alcantara would be a tough blow to the Yankees, who have been linked to him. New York has shown interest in the former Cy Young Award winner and he would help the rotation out immensely, especially with Cole and Rodon out for the beginning of the season.
However, perhaps if the Marlins struggle out of the gates, Miami would be more open to a mid-season move.
Yankees GM Likes Rotation
New York has some questions about its rotation due to injuries.
Cole and Rodon will miss the start of the season, but once they are back, New York will be led by those two and Fried. With that, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman likes the team’s rotation and isn’t sure the team needs to add.
“Ultimately, we are vulnerable early on, because of Rodon’s surgery and Cole’s surgery,” Cashman said. “So that’s one of the reasons we brought Yarbrough in and we are also having conversations about potentially, how can we protect ourselves in the starting rotation. Because, when they’re all healthy. Which they never are. But when they’re all healthy, they’re firing on all cylinders, it’s a great rotation.”
Despite the Yankees having some key injuries, Cashman may not even add a starter.
Cole Shelton Cole Shelton covers the NHL, MLB and Cleveland Browns for Heavy.com. He has covered pro and college sports since 2016, including bylines at BJ Penn, USA Today, SB Nation, Rotowire, Canadian Baseball Network and more. More about Cole Shelton
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