Potential San Francisco Giants Trade Target Won't Be Moved Until Just Before Deadline

The San Francisco Giants could be a trade partner with the Miami Marlins for their ace this season, but they will apparently have to wait until the last minute before making a deal.

Apr 12, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Marlins pitcher Sandy Alcantara (22) pitches in the first inning against the Washington Nationals at loanDepot Park. | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

The San Francisco Giants would make perfect sense as trade partners with the Miami Marlins for their ace, but a deal wouldn't happen for a couple of months.

USA TODAY insider Bob Nightengale recently revealed the Marlins will be waiting until the last couple of days before this year's trade deadline on July 31 to make a move involving starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara.

He is going to be the best player traded this season coming off a year in which he didn't pitch at all. It makes sense for Miami to wait as long as they can so that they can squeeze as much value as possible out of him.

The 29-year-old would even prefer to stay with the Marlins according to a quote he gave Miami reporters recently, but a deal is more than likely going to come.

"I want to play here and win here. This team gave me an opportunity to be a starting pitcher and be a superstar. I signed here to stay here," said Alcantara.

With the Marlins still in the limbo of a rebuild, it doesn't make much sense for them to be paying so much money for a true ace. That same deal would be a value for a competitive team, though.

The 2022 NL Cy Young winner will be making $17.3 million this year and next with a $21 million team option in 2027. Trading for him would give a team a top-end starter for the next couple of seasons. That's where the Giants come into the equation.

Deals like the ones they handed to Matt Chapman, Willy Adames and Jung Hoo Lee suggest that San Francisco wants to compete for the next few years.

It is hard to do that without pitching, and they currently only have one solidified stud on their staff in Logan Webb.

The Giants tried to bring in Corbin Burnes this past offseason, so it is clear they want pitching help.

When Alcantara is on, he is one of the best pitchers in the sport. He had a 2.28 ERA in 2022 with a 0.980 WHIP over a league-leading 228.2 innings.

His stuff looks good this year, but he has struggled with control and it has come back to haunt him. He has a 7.27 ERA and has walked at least four batters twice. He has also given up at least four runs in the last two outings.

There is little reason to worry about him in the long run, though.

Expect San Francisco to at least be in the conversation for him come trade deadline time, especially if they keep winning games with a mediocre starting rotation.