Marlins Facing One Huge Question In Key Offseason for the Franchise
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One team that opened some eyes in 2025 was the Miami Marlins. Coming off a 100-loss 2024 season and hiring a new manager, the Marlins surprised a lot of people and hung around a National League Wild Card spot until September.
They finished four games behind the Cincinnati Reds for the last spot in the NL playoffs, but it was seen as a big step in the right direction for a franchise that was just two years removed from a postseason berth. However, according to Mike Petriello of MLB.com, Miami is facing some big decisions, including with right-handed pitcher Sandy Alcantara.
Marlins Big Offseason Decision Surrounds Sandy Alcantara
The General Managers' meetings are in Las Vegas this week, and newly-hired Marlins GM Gabe Kapler will make his first appearance there as a member of the Miami organization. One thing that is for sure is that there will be chatter surrounding Alcantara and whether or not he'll be moved. According to Petriello, who ranked all 30 MLB rosters as the offseason gets going, will they or won't they trade him?
"Miami had a surprisingly competitive 2025, improving by 17 games over a disastrous 2024, and there’s some momentum going into 2026, particularly since they’ve identified some potential lineup building blocks in outfielders Kyle Stowers and Jacob Marsee. They badly need a first baseman with power, and a righty bat in the grass would be welcome since Stowers, Marsee, and right fielder Griffin Conine are all lefties. But the main question this winter will be whether they finally trade starter Sandy Alcantara, who’s headed into his final year before free agency,'' Petriello wrote.
There is no doubt that Alcantara's value is higher now than it would be at the trade deadline next summer. He will be eligible for free agency in a year, and despite Kapler being the general manager, a trade of Alcantara will ultimately be made by the president of baseball operations chief Peter Bendix.
Miami is stuck between a rock and a hard place with this decision. They showed this past season that they are not too far off from contending in what is turning into a division in the National League East that has more questions than answers around the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets, who are falling behind the Philadelphia Phillies, who have their own tough decisions this winter.
Miami could do worse than an Alcantara and Edward Cabrera one-two punch at the top of their rotation, which makes breaking it up a tough decision. The return would also come into play as well, but giving up on a pitcher who proved this season that he's returning to his form following Tommy John surgery is certainly a tough decision to make. Whatever the decision is, Miami needs to get it right.
