{"id":778770,"date":"2026-08-14T20:18:15","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T20:18:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/778770\/"},"modified":"2026-08-14T20:18:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T20:18:15","slug":"mlb-mailbag-alcantara-caglianone-rangers-rockies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/778770\/","title":{"rendered":"MLB Mailbag: Alcantara, Caglianone, Rangers, Rockies"},"content":{"rendered":"

This week\u2019s Mailbag looks at possible extensions for Sandy Alcantara<\/a> and Jac Caglianone<\/a>, the Rangers\u2019 longer-term outlook and what the Rockies can do with struggling shortstop Ezequiel Tovar<\/a> and his long-term contract.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s get into it!<\/p>\n

Chris asks:<\/p>\n

What might a Sandy Alcantara extension look like?<\/p>\n

Not that long ago, I\u2019d have started any question like this by saying a trade felt like the far likelier outcome than an extension. Now, after Miami has gone two deadlines and an offseason without moving Alcantara despite good value \u2014 all amid repeated reports that he\u2019s (understandably) a personal favorite of owner Bruce Sherman \u2014 another long-term deal seems like something the organization will consider.<\/p>\n

First, let\u2019s take a quick look at Alcantara\u2019s return from Tommy John surgery, which cost him the 2024 season. Last year\u2019s results \u2014 particularly early on \u2014 were gruesome. Alcantara needed a 3.13 ERA over his final dozen starts just to get his season-long ERA \u201cdown\u201d to 5.36. Early on, he wasn\u2019t missing bats anywhere close to an average level. His command was well shy of its prior standards. He was more homer-prone than he\u2019d ever been. Opponents were making quite a bit of hard contact. It wasn\u2019t encouraging.<\/p>\n

Late last July, Alcantara seemed to turn a corner. His command sharpened, and his strikeout rate improved. He was still giving up too much hard contact, but that was more manageable with a league-average strikeout rate and plus walk rate than it was earlier in the season, when he\u2019d been fanning 17% of his opponents with a walk rate around 12%. Alcantara didn\u2019t have a dominant finish, but those 12 starts were a portent for better days ahead.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s precisely what\u2019s come to pass. Alcantara has a 3.52 ERA this season and leads the majors in innings pitched. His strikeout, walk and ground-ball rates are all worse than their peak levels but are vastly improved over their 2025 levels. Alcantara is on an absolute heater right now, with seven straight quality starts \u2014 including three straight scoreless outings (a total of 20 innings). He\u2019s sitting on a 1.88 ERA with a 23.4% strikeout rate, 5.3% walk rate and 42% grounder rate over his past 48 innings. It\u2019s ace-level performance.<\/p>\n

Skeptics can say it\u2019s \u201conly seven starts,\u201d but if we go back to last July\u2019s turnaround, Alcantara boasts 241 1\/3 innings (37 starts) with a 3.39 ERA, 20.1% strikeout rate, 6.1% walk rate and 44.8% ground-ball rate. Opponents are averaging 89.2 mph off the bat with a 39% hard-hit rate. It\u2019s average quality of contact that plays down because Alcantara does a good job avoiding barrels and gets plenty of chase on balls off the plate.<\/p>\n

Even if Alcantara is more of a No. 2 starter than a Cy Young candidate moving forward, he\u2019s a workhorse who any club in the game would be happy to start in a playoff setting. The Marlins have him signed through next year by way of a $21MM club option that\u2019ll be a no-brainer to exercise. He\u2019s said he hopes to spend his career in Miami, and if the team\u2019s repeated decisions to pass on trading him are any indication, Sherman is amenable to that concept. The offseason will be an ideal time to extend him, so as not to have his expiring contract casting a cloud over the entire season. Let\u2019s jump into MLBTR\u2019s Contract Tracker to pull up some age-related comps and see where such a deal might land.<\/p>\n


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