The Mets are among the teams that have shown interest in Sandy Alcantara, reports Mike Puma of The New York Post. They’d seemingly remain one of the longer shots to land the former Cy Young winner. Intra-division trades of controllable players aren’t easy to make, and the Mets have reportedly been more focused on bullpen upgrades than the rotation.
New York already made the first of what’ll likely be multiple bullpen pickups this afternoon. They sent a pair of pitching prospects to the Orioles for hard-throwing southpaw Gregory Soto. They’re at least exploring the starting pitching and center field markets in addition to their reliever pursuits.
Alcantara has a 6.66 earned run average across 20 starts. His career-low 16.7% strikeout rate is well below average. Alcantara has gotten far fewer chases and swinging strikes this year than in any prior season. For all those alarming trends, he’ll intrigue teams as a change-of-scenery candidate. Alcantara’s 97.6 MPH average fastball velocity is back to where it was before he underwent Tommy John surgery in 2023. He is signed with Miami for $17MM this year and next and is guaranteed a $2MM buyout on a $21MM club option for 2027.
President of baseball operations David Stearns suggested this week that the Mets would be comfortable with a potential playoff rotation comprising some combination of Kodai Senga, Sean Manaea, David Peterson, Clay Holmes and Frankie Montas. Holmes is already at a career-high workload in his first full MLB season as a starter. He has struggled in July after a strong first three months. Senga, Manaea, and Montas have all had injury issues this year. The Mets could also get Tylor Megill back next month, yet he’s a question mark as he rehabs an elbow sprain.
Stearns also indicated the Mets could be content with the combination of Jeff McNeil and Tyrone Taylor in center field. Still, they’re on the periphery of that market. The Post’s Jon Heyman suggests they’re showing continued interest in long-rumored target Luis Robert Jr. Earlier this week, SNY’s Andy Martino called Baltimore’s Cedric Mullins a “consideration.”
Mullins is an impending free agent who’ll definitely be moved, but he hasn’t hit since April. Robert, whose contract contains consecutive $20MM team options for 2026-27, had an awful first few months offensively but has picked things up over the past couple weeks. Robert hits left-handed pitching well, plays plus defense, and steals bases, so he’s the more desirable trade candidate of that duo.
Has to be a huge haul… Jonah Tonge and more…
Shouldn’t be that much for the worst qualified starter in 2025
Marlins will probably keep him though it seems like a Luis Robert situation
Hard to say. A year or two ago yes a huge haul but less likely now unless multiple teams get serious in trade talks with them. Marlins brass may have lofty ambitions regardless of his rough season
Alcantara is currently expensive and really bad. Marlins aren’t getting much of a return until the offseason “if” he rebounds down the stretch. Cabrera/Bender can help them get value. That’s a start.
Any haul would include hitters. Miami seems to have an endless supply of arms. Vientos is from Miami. Mauricio has tremendous upside. Alcantara might be used as a multi-inning reliever in 2025, if he lands with the Mets. He has logged a bunch of innings this season.
since coming back from injury he has been worse than bryce elder but being paid like he is chris sale. Also if they trade him the marlins will have to take on money from somewhere as im sure the mlbpa will file a grievance if they dont as i believe the marlins will be around 50M payroll.
Or it would be funny if the marlins take on money from the contract to trade with the mets.
carternico:
Wake up from your fever dream
lol doubtful
Coming back off surgery there’s no telling how many innings he even has left this year. I would thing the Mets would be more interested in a Steady Eddie like Mitch Keller than a total wildcard like Alcantara, particularly given they would have to pay a division premium.
In any event I can’t imagine the Mets would move Tong for Alcantara in this current state.
LOL never happening
No thanks, they won’t give up any young starter for an ERA of the devil 6.66 lol, I’d rather bring up 1 of our own young pitchers and put Holmes in the bullpen.
Maybe another bullpen guy like Bednar, Bird, Halvorsen ? Or a trade with St. Louis for Arenado and Helsley (Vientos/Gilbert/Tidwell)
Jonah Tong is probably cheaper and better than Alcantara right now, so probably not.
People acting like this dude is just some bum. Before his surgery he was elite. Probably will get back to that point eventually. Spare me with his current stat line.
Okay, you are spared. Now explain to us all how you add a 6.66 ERA SP with plenty of 2025 innings, and hope to improve your staff during a pennant run. He’s probably getting close to the proverbial “innings limit” following a return from TJS.
Probably because he is a former cy young winner on the good side of 30?
“Probably” doesn’t really work for a team looking for a starter for this season’s stretch run.
@holee cow. Im sure they’re checking to see if Miami is willing to trade him. To get his salary off the books for nothing since that’s usually what they do.
This is his first season coming off Tommy John and many pitchers struggle to some extent during that first year. It’s fair to think he’ll be better next year.
The big question is what does he get back to. He’s had 1 season where he was elite (2022). He’s had one season where he was really good (2021) Every other season he’s been more of a mid rotation arm.
To me, the big concern is that he went 205 and 228 innings in back to back seasons during his 2 year stretch of great performance, then put in a lesser season prior to injury. Was the elbow hurt all that season? or did he burn himself out to some extent and maybe that’s his best moving forward.
We may not know for another season or two.
That’s the issue, jays, Yankees Mets it would cost 35 million to have him on the team next year. Nobody is paying him that given the season he’s put up thus far. Unless the marlins are kicking in like half his money next year even then probably not.
That’s the thing, he was elite before surgery. I doubt many think he is a bum but he is like 3 runs a game over his norm. I think a change of scenery would do him a lot of good.
Fastball is where it was pre surgery maybe his release point who knows but he has been getting tagged
will that eventually be like Thor’s return to elite level or Matt Harvey?
Im with u I think he is just getting a feel back for his pitches and can really help a team
Holee Cow:
Famous last words:
“Before his surgery he was elite…”
Nobody that a luxury tax team is paying him 35 million next year for what he’s produced this year. Nobody not a single team I don’t care what you say
ThatsIT?:
If Steve Cohen wants to pay a guy, he will. I’m not saying he wants to pay him. But if he decided to, he will. You’re talking about luxury tax like it matters to him. Luxury tax means nothing to a guy with $20 billion.
How many years in an “eventually”? Nobody currently on planet earth has THAT much time. Ahahahahaha!
I still think Mets need to call Pittsburgh and make them an offer they can’t refuse for Skenes. The time is now to beat LA
Cant see it but man if Cherington got the green light to shop Skenes what a war room that would be to sit in on!
Ohh the offers that would come in for him
I don’t think the Mets have the elite top prospects/young talent to land Skenes. From my POV, other teams would blow them out of the water. Definitely an option in 4.33 years when he is a free agent.
A lot of the prospect writers and websites are pretty high on the Mets farm system right now.
Agreed! i’d Offer them Tong, Tidwell, Baez, Acuna, Gilbert and Dohm for Skenes and Bednar
You do not do this if you’re Miami. No way do you want to see this guy pitch against you in the division if he gets right.
@theraven. I dont think they will trade him to the Mets. Someone could even get him out of the race like the giants did with Ray. If you have trouble signing free agents 17 million for a year isn’t crazy. Luzardo didn’t go for much, and the Marlins. Haven’t won a trade in a long time. Teams are seeing if they are willing to salary dump him for nothing. Wouldn’t surprise me if the orioles try
@rex, Fish do really well vs O’s in trades. They should reach out.
Regardless unless Mets offer Jett(which they won’t) Marlins are not trading the Staff Leader and Eury Perez mentor.
Marlins do not need to trade him this year nor Cabrera with how their playing. Sanchez, Wagaman, Fortes, Junk, Quantrill, and Bender, Everyone else should stay and finish the year they’re having.
@mjm117. That’s right I forgot about the Richards trade. Trades haven’t been kind, but they do have a new regime.
Augustin Ramirez
Kyle Stowers
Xavier Edwards
Dane Myers on waivers
Ronny Henriquez on waivers.
Otto Lopez on waivers.
Starlyn Caba
Sandy Alcantara
While I’d love to have him on the Padres, they should be out on him if they’re asking for the moon. Too much risk there to miss if he gets hurt again, or never gets back to his old self.
I think Alcantara makes more sense for a fringe contender rather than a team like the Mets. Padres I suppose are that kind of team but they have starters they need other things.
My fear is you will be stuck with Sandy and Frankie being your 4 and 5. I really think in another month or so they may move holmes to the bullpen to save his arm some and use in the post season or make a piggy back with another pitcher. At that point he would probably be at double the most innings he has ever thrown in the ML.
For this season i can see sandy being roughly what he was before he was injured which was good but more middish rotation and for what the marlins want you can get more of a sure thing than gambling on a mid guy.
Mets have little pitching. It’s laughable they buy one of the best position players in baseball to a whopping contract and they back that up by signing Montas.
other way around, They signed Montas and back that up by signing Soto.
All the same deal. They didn’t do much for pitching, case and point. Mets cried when they missed the postseason 2 years ago and shipped Scherzer and Verlander and they haven’t gotten one starter better than those two (at their height) since.
Montas was terrible signing. He does nothing to move the needle for their rotation.
“All the same deal.”
No, you were completely wrong and had it backwards.
They didn’t focus on pitching, that was the deal.
Stop seeing the forest for the trees and cherry picking my posts.
I just want to know when will MLB
come clean about their ⚾️baseballs⚾️?
They are not uniformly the same!
Some juiced, some duds! Different year
to year and even changed during years.
Why not just use the balls from the
All-Star Game Homerun Derby for all games.
Except for the colored balls of course.
Someone’s been in he humidor.
You can call up any AAA pitchers and get better run prevention than what he’s providing currently.
Buyer beware. His best game was against SD and they can’t hit HS pitching. Miles Mikolas shuts them out! You have discount any start against the Padres.
Would certainly be a sell low trade for the Marlins. I don’t see them moving him unless they are looking for a salary dump. Probably just gauging his market value.
Cabrera ask must be way too much
Seems like a typical MLBTR piece. Mets interest in _______insert name here. Mets interested in_____insert name here. No real rumors just lazy writing
This just in….Mets have shown interest in Ty Cobb
Sell low….
Alcantara has had awful results this year. He would be available for 1-2 mid to lower tier prospects. Until he proves otherwise, his career may evolve into being a reliever only
To the Marlins’ front office: Please don’t trade Sandy; but if you really really really really really have to do it, DO NOT SEND HIM to the Mets, Phillies, or Braves.
BRING UP THE PROSPECTS instead of trading them away (see Crow-Armstrong, Pete). Enough with Taylor Vientos Winker. Make Baty the everyday DH. Stop with the parade of the awful pitching promotions.
We need to stay away from Alcantara. I know the stuff is coming back, but looking at just the counting stats it’s really not pretty. If I’m the Marlins I might think about holding onto him and hopefully next July he’ll look like the Sandy of old. Just a thought….