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The Miami Marlins could very likely trade one of their starting pitchers, with Sandy Alcántara and Edward Cabrera mentioned as possibilities, per Will Sammon and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
“There’s a strong possibility that the Marlins end up moving one of their starters, league sources said. Sandy Alcántara and Edward Cabrera have continued to attract serious attention from other teams.
“The Marlins want to at least contend for the playoffs in 2026, and club officials are bullish on their chances of doing so. However, the Marlins want to be good for years to come, as well. So if trading a starter like Cabrera (three years of club control left) or Alcantara (club option worth $21 million for 2027) helps them acquire players toward that goal, then they probably should do it.”
The 30-year-old Alcántara went 11-12 with a 5.36 ERA (1.27 WHIP) over 31 starts last season. He also struck out 142 batters in 174.2 innings.
Alcántara returned to the mound after missing all of 2024 due to Tommy John surgery to address a torn UCL in his right elbow.
At his peak, Alcántara was one of the best pitchers in the game, winning the National League’s Cy Young award in 2022. He posted an eye-popping 2.28 ERA during that season, striking out a career-high 207 batters along the way.
Alcántara is entering the final year of a five-season, $56 million contract with a 2027 club option.
The 27-year-old Cabrera is under team control for three more seasons. He was one of the Marlins’ top two starters last year alongside Eury Pérez, going 8-7 with a 3.53 ERA (1.23 WHIP) in 26 starts. Cabrera struck out more than one batter per inning (150 in 137.2 frames).
It’s possible that the Marlins could part with others, too, with left-hander Ryan Weathers mentioned, per The Athletic.
“It’s not just Cabrera and Alcantara, either. Multiple teams have expressed interest in acquiring Marlins lefty Ryan Weathers, league sources said.
“The Marlins are at least listening on offers on each of their starters with the exception of Eury Pérez, people familiar with their thinking said.
“In the case of Weathers, a club would have to value him as someone on the cusp of breaking out into an exciting starter for Miami to consider a trade, league sources said.”
Multiple injuries held Weathers to eight starts last year, but he showed flashes during his 2025 outings, striking out nearly a batter per inning (37 in 38.1 frames) and posting a 3.99 ERA. He also didn’t allow an earned run in two of his starts (one went five innings, and the other went 5.2 frames). Like Cabrera, Weathers is eligible for free agency in 2029.
It makes sense that the 22-year-old Pérez is off-limits. He went 7-6 with a 4.25 ERA in 20 starts after missing all of 2024 due to Tommy John surgery. The talented Pérez, who is under team control for four more seasons, also struck out 105 batters in 95.1 innings.
The Marlins are trying to build off a 79-win season that saw the team improve by 17 victories over the year before. They were on the outer edges of playoff contention in the back half of the year before ultimately falling short by five games to the Cincinnati Reds, who got the last Wild Card spot at 84-78.