Marlins SP Sandy Alcantara's Trade Value Reportedly Has 'Plummeted' amid MLB Rumors

Times are tough for the Miami Marlins, who are currently 7.5 games out of a playoff spot in the NL and the player thought to be their best trade asset coming into 2025 may not bring back a great return because of his struggles thus far.

Per ESPN's Tristan H. Cockroft, Sandy Alcántara's trade value has "plummeted" due to a 7.22 ERA in 18 starts.

Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported on Thursday that the Marlins will listen to offers for Alcántara.

Per ESPN's Jeff Passan, Alcántara could still end up being the biggest name that gets moved by July 31 despite his struggles in part because some of the other candidates, like Alex Bregman and Freddy Peralta, play on teams that have put themselves in playoff contention.

However, Passan did note some teams are concerned about the amount of money Alcántara is still owed and Miami's asking price relative to his performance. He is signed through next season for $17.3 million with a $21 million team option for 2027.

One potential solution Passan threw out was the Marlins packaging Alcántara with another player to "give the acquiring club a modicum of stability amid questions of whether the former NL Cy Young winner can be fixed."

It's not a total surprise that Alcántara has struggled so far after missing all of 2024 recovering from Tommy John surgery. The extent of his struggles is a cause for concern going forward. His ERA is more than a half run higher than any other pitcher with at least 90 innings (Antonio Senzatela: 6.60).

Velocity hasn't been the problem for Alcántara, with his fastball his fastball averaging 97.4 mph. The issue is he's not missing bats (71 strikeouts in 91 innings) and opposing hitters have a .315 average and .551 slugging percentage against the heater.

Playing with a better defense behind him might improve some of Alcántara's stats. The Marlins rank 21st in defensive runs saved and are one of 11 clubs in the negative in that category (minus-four).

It wouldn't be a bad idea for a contending team that needs rotation depth to take a flier on Alcántara to see if they can get him back on track. Teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox are among the playoff contenders in need of another starter.

If the Marlins' main objective is to get Alcántara's salary off the books, they could find any number of suitors to take a shot on him. If their goal is to bring back a package that can help them take a step forward in 2026, his struggles this season might make that too steep a cost for opposing teams to pay.