Marlins' latest move could help Guardians land ace at trade deadline

In an interesting turn of events, the manner in which the Miami Marlins are handling the workload of starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara suggests that he may not be long for South Beach, and the Cleveland Guardians should be paying close attention.

It was previously reported that the Marlins would not be placing an innings limit on Alcantara this season, and while that remains true, they will be monitoring his early season workload. The assumption here is that this would be in an effort to ensure he is still available later this season for contending teams that could be looking to bolster their pitching staff as they prepare for their playoff push. This is a group that the Guardians could easily find themselves being a part of, and should that be the case, Alcantara would make the perfect addition to their starting rotation.

Tanner Bibee is clearly the anchor of the Guardians' pitching staff and should be able to carry them throughout the season in that role. Meanwhile, Gavin Williams and Triston McKenzie are looking to have better campaigns in 2025 after neither pitched up to their skill level. The arrival of Luis Ortiz should help reinforce their starting staff, and whichever contributions they can get from Ben Lively in an innings-eater role should prove useful. But still, this is a group that would greatly benefit from having another top arm in their rotation, with Alcantara being an ideal fit.

Alcantara has two seasons remaining on his current contract and will make just under $17.5 million in 2025 and 2026. The contract also contains a club option for the 2027 season that will pay Alcantara $21 million if exercised. Acquiring a player that could be under contract for what could be two-plus seasons with a chance to get out a year early should that be necessary is the type of trade that is right up Cleveland's alley. This helps them manage risk in a more controlled manner while also giving them a better product on the field.

The 29-year-old Alcantara last pitched in 2023, having missed all of last season due to undergoing Tommy John surgery. Alcantara has a career 3.32 ERA and 1.157 WHIP while averaging 7.9 strikeouts per nine innings pitched in 332 games. The 2022 season saw Alcantara pitch to a 2.28 ERA, 0.980 WHIP, and 8.1 K/9 en route to winning the National League Cy Young Award and finishing 10th in NL MVP voting.