Blue Jays 'Would Be Wise' To Make Call to Marlins To Discuss Trade
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The Toronto Blue Jays, fresh off their American League pennant, will have some difficult decisions to make this offseason. Several key contributors are hitting free agency, headlined by shortstop Bo Bichette.
That is where all of the attention is going to be. Will the Blue Jays be able to retain their star infielder, or will he be on the move, joining a new franchise?
While bringing him back may be their No. 1 priority, there are other areas on the roster that need attention. Their starting rotation could use some reinforcements, especially with Max Scherzer and Chris Bassitt hitting free agency.
Blue Jays Named Sandy Alcantara Trade Fit
That is a big reason why Toronto was named as a potential landing spot for Miami Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara, by Mike Axisa of CBS Sports.
“The affordable contract and two-year terms means just about every team other than deep rebuilders will have interest in Alcantara. The Blue Jays and Braves would be wise to give the Marlins a call,” he wrote.
Shane Bieber deciding to accept his player option and return to Toronto for the 2026 campaign got the team’s offseason off on a great note. He will join Trey Yesavage, Jose Berrios and Kevin Gausman in the rotation, but they need at least one more arm.
Acquiring Alcantara would solidify the starting rotation as a bona fide strength for the Blue Jays. The National League Cy Young Award winner in 2022, he has not quite regained that form after undergoing Tommy John surgery and missing the entirety of the 2024 season.
Sandy Alcantara Rounding Into Form
As the 2025 campaign moved along, he did start to look more and more like the award-winning version of himself. Over his final 12 starts of the season, he had a 3.13 ERA across 77.2 innings, giving the kind of length that had been commonplace for him a few years ago.
It will not be cheap to acquire him, but falling one victory short of a championship should have the front office motivated to make some big additions.
Adding a pitcher of that quality to the rotation would help Toronto close the gap with its AL East rivals, who are loaded with starting pitching.
The New York Yankees have Gerrit Cole coming back with Max Fried and Carlos Rodon. The Boston Red Sox have Garrett Crochet and are on the hunt for another front-end starter this winter.
Alcantara would provide the Blue Jays with the kind of firepower on the mound to go toe-to-toe with their divisional foes.
