Yankees Reportedly Eye Alcantara or Edward Cabrera Trade, Marlins Want Spencer Jones

The New York Yankees could be adding a pitcher from the Miami Marlins ahead of this evening's trade deadline.

The Yankees have spoken with the Marlins about trading for Sandy Alcántara or Edward Cabrera, MLB Network's Jon Morosi reported on Thursday.

Morosi reported that the Marlins have asked for a return including outfielder Spencer Jones, who is ranked as the Yankees' No. 4 prospect by MLB Pipeline.

Any trade to bolster the Yankees rotation would need to take place before the MLB trade window closes Thursday at 6 p.m. ET.

The New York Post's Jon Heyman wrote Thursday that other clubs "consistently" ask about Jones, but that the Yankees would only consider dealing the outfielder should the Pittsburgh Pirates ever decide to put ace Paul Skenes on the market.

Alcantara, a former Cy Young winner missed the 2024 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, saw his efficiency dip early in his return to the mound.

He still ranks in the 91st percentile of MLB in fastball velocity, per Baseball Savant, and seems to be trending upward as he's coming off consecutive starts with no earned runs allowed.

Cabrera is meanwhile recording the best numbers of his MLB career this season with a 3.35 ERA and 1.234 WHIP through 18 starts and 94.0 innings pitched.

Morosi said last Wednesday that Cabrera's trade value was "peaking" ahead of the deadline as he marked a 2.61 ERA, striking out 48 batters while walking 14, through eight starts since the beginning of June.

Alcantara is under team control through 2027, while Cabrera is arbitration eligible through 2029, per Spotrac.

Either pitcher could help the Yankees fill in for the season-ending losses of Clarke Schmidt and Gerrit Cole to elbow surgeries. Luis Gil meanwhile has yet to make his season debut amid a lat strain that has sidelined him since spring training.

If the Marlins are focused on Jones, the Yankees may need to decide if targeting either pitcher would be worth parting ways with a prospect who has established himself as one of the best minor-league hitters by batting .402 through 21 games with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

A crowded outfield has kept the club from calling him up this season, but any further injuries down the stretch could lead to Jones' Yankees debut this fall.

If a trade for Alcantara or Cabrera doesn't work out, the Yankees are widely expected to still make a move to address the club's pitching needs by this afternoon. The Athletic's Brendan Kuty and Chris Kirschner wrote on Thursday morning that it would be "a major surprise if the Yankees don’t have multiple new pitchers on their roster by the end of the day."

One candidate for a potential deal is Pirates closer David Bednar, who has been another subject of deadline-day talks by the Yankees, per The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.