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Yankees predicted to acquire Sandy Alcantara.
The New York Yankees are off to an incredible start, and the team will likely be buyers to further bolster their roster.
One area of need for the Yankees could be the rotation, especially with Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon currently injured. And, Luis Gil struggled in spring training, and his future with the team and his spot on the roster are uncertain.
So, MLB analyst Austin Owens of FanSided predicts the Yankees will acquire Sandy Alcantara from the Miami Marlins.
“Miami ace Sandy Alcantara has seen his name floated at each of the last two trade deadlines. But 2026 feels like the year the right-hander finally heads elsewhere as the constantly cost-conscious Marlins look to stay ahead of his free agency,” Owens wrote. “And with the top-of-the-line stuff he possesses, and how well he’s started the new season, he figures to fetch a nice price — with the New York Yankees particularly interested in making a midseason rotation upgrade.”
Alcantara would give the Yankees one of the best rotations in all of baseball, and Owens believes it’s something the team will look to do.
“Yankees fans will always question Aaron Boone’s decision-making,” Owens added. “However, going into a playoff series with this rotation, it feels like whoever he hands the ball to would be the right call. (This is also operating under the assumption that currently injured arms Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon recover as expected. If not, Alcantara’s durability becomes even more valuable).”
The Yankees’ rotation for the playoffs would be Cole, Fried, Rodon, Alcantara, and Schlittler, which would be hard for any team to compete against.
Alcantara is a Popular Trade Target
Alcantara’s name has come up in trade rumors for a while now. Yet, 2026 could finally be the year he’s traded.
The right-hander has a club option for 2027. But he could be a free agent at the end of this season. So, the Marlins getting some assets back for their ace makes sense, and Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer named him a trade candidate this season.
“This is another “surprising he’s still there” situation, and maybe even the ultimate one, at that. Sandy Alcantara was a walking trade rumor last year… until he wasn’t,” Rymer wrote. “All the same, the Marlins still don’t seem especially likely to give Alcantara a shot to pitch in October. And whereas he couldn’t do it right away last year, he is rounding back into his Cy Young-winning form of 2022.
“The righty finished last year with a 3.13 ERA over his last 12 starts. He started this year with seven scoreless innings on Opening Day. He sat in the 97 mph range with both his four-seamer and sinker, peaking at 99 mph. If Alcantara can keep this up, his $17.3 million salary and $21 million option might not scare even more thrifty spenders away.”
Alcantara is a two-time MLB All-Star and won the NL Cy Young in 2022.
Yankees Getting Additions to Rotation
New York already had a solid rotation, and the team is expected to get Carlos Rodon and Gerrit Cole back to the mound soon.
Rodon is expected to begin a minor-league rehab assignment shortly. The hope is the left-hander will be back in the Yankees’ rotation in late April or early May.
“It’s just a matter of when he can run and cover and field his position, things like that,” manager Aaron Boone said. “He’s able to keep his arm going through this. It’s minor enough that’s the case, so that’s a good thing. Each day will tell a little bit of the story.”
Cole, meanwhile, is recovering from Tommy John surgery. But Boone said there’s no timeline for when he will begin a rehab assignment.
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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