Marlins Should Consider Moving on From Two Big Trade Chips This Summer
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The Miami Marlins are closing in on the halfway point of the 2026 season and things really haven't gone the way president of baseball operations Peter Bendix or manager Clayton McCullough had hoped.
Things have turned around for Miami as of late. The Marlins have won eight out of their last 11 games after Saturday's win and sit at 39-38. But the playoffs still seem like a long shot.
Bendix is going to be tasked with some tough trade deadline decisions by late July. There will be no shortage of players that other teams would covet from the Marlins and it feels like it's time for Bendix to strike in the trade market in terms of moving pieces that could get a nice return.
He did that over the winter when he traded Edward Cabrera to the Chicago Cubs for a haul of prospects that included Owen Caissie. Speaking of Caissie, he played a major role in the win over the Giants on Friday night with a first-inning solo home run and the game-winning sac-fly in the the seventh inning.
Miami also sent left-hander Ryan Weathers to the New York Yankees. It was only a matter of time before a starting pitcher or two, was moved. But now, Miami could be staring at moving a third by the Aug. 3 deadline in Sandy Alcantara.
Marlins 2 Best Trade Chips, According to One MLB Writer
If Bendix decides to sell, then there will be a big market for right-handed pitcher Sandy Alcantara. Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report listed Miami's top trade chips and he listed Alcantara and closer Pete Fairbanks as the two players who teams would covet this summer.
Both pitchers are struggling somewhat this season, but there are teams that would take a chance on adding either to their rotation or the backend of their bullpen for the stretch run and in the postseason.
Fairbanks worked a scoreless ninth inning against San Francisco on Friday night for his 10th save of the season. His ERA dropped to 6.43, but he has been better in June, allowing just three runs in seven outings.
As for Alcantara, he proved last season that he's fully recovered from surgery and can still be a big difference-maker in a contender's rotation. He worked six innings, striking out six, and allowing four runs in his last outing on Wednesday against the Philadelphia Phillies to improve to 7-4. It might be tough to move Alcantara, but cashing in now is the move for Bendix to make.
If Miami goes into full sell mode, they have some bullpen pieces that teams would look to add, aside from Fairbanks. This doesn't feel like a postseason team and if there is a time to trade Alcantara, it's now.
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