Is Sandy Alcántara a Trade Target for the Mets?

Staying on the east coast might be a legitimate path for the Mets to find an ace. Could they pull off a huge trade and get Sandy Alcántara from the Marlins?

Feb 13, 2025; Jupiter, FL, USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara (22) tosses a baseball during a spring training workout at the Miami Marlins player development & scouting complex. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The New York Mets are entering a highly anticipated 2025 season. However, a consistent question has been raised: can the Mets trade for an ace-caliber pitcher?

Names like Dylan Cease and Michael King have been floated from the San Diego Padres, but there seems to be little traction on that front due to the high asking price from A.J. Preller. There are also negatives for each pitcher in terms of acquisition for the Mets in terms of prospect demand, age, and eventually a big payday for both pitchers, who will be getting deals to kick off into their 30's.

Read More: Mets not expected to pursue Padres' Dylan Cease, Yankees' Marcus Stroman

So if the Padres can't be a trade partner, who can the Mets turn to instead? Enter the Miami Marlins.

This past offseason, Miami dealt lefty Jesús Luzardo to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for Shortstop Starlyn Caba (Phillies' No. 4 prospect) and outfielder Emaarion Boyd (Phillies' No. 23 prospect). The price wasn't too outrageous for a young, talented, yet injury-prone pitcher. Considering the trade also happened within the division, the Marlins are clearly showing some willingness to take the best deal for them.

This is where the Mets come into play. Earlier this week, Marlins President of Baseball Operations Peter Bendix was asked about ace Sandy Alcántara's future with the ball club. He stated, "We can't really comment on what might happen in the future, Sandy is here right now."

Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix on Sandy Alcantara’s future:

“Sandy is here right now.”pic.twitter.com/B1Et5FdfNR

— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) February 17, 2025

The Marlins are notorious for trading a lot of great players in their prime via trades to net prospects. One of those trades involved current Mets' president of baseball operations David Stearns back in 2018, when he got future MVP Christian Yelich for Lewis Brinson, Isan Díaz, Monte Harrison, and Jordan Yamamoto. This was one of the most lopsided trades he ever engineered, and greatly helped define his legacy in Milwaukee.

Stearns has yet to make a seismic trade for the Mets, which is understandable because this is just his second year with the club. However, someone like Sandy could be perfect for the Mets for multiple reasons. The biggest is that he is a superstar-level pitcher when healthy: already a Cy Young Award winner, Alcántara is one the best in the sport.

Sandy Alcantara has 10 complete games since 2020 -- 6 of them came in 2022 when he won the NL Cy Young Award. pic.twitter.com/ZY6aoJ5g0q

— MLB (@MLB) January 27, 2025

The 29-year-old right-hander is coming off of Tommy John surgery which cost him all of 2024, but has made a full recovery in time for the 2025 season. In addition to his young age (turning 30 in September), he is signed on through the 2027 season (there is a club option for that year which is only $21 million).

This checks a ton of boxes for the Mets, as they'd theoretically get a star pitcher in his prime on a team-friendly deal. A subpar 2023 season by his standards and the lost 2024 season could also make Alcántara somewhat easier to acquire. While that raises the question of whether he'd be able to return to form, his past results undoubtedly would make him the ace of the Mets' staff.

The cost for Alcántara will still be substantially higher than what the Phillies paid for Jesús Luzardo, as Alcántara's Cy Young season is fairly recent. But David Stearns is not shy to pull the trigger on a deal that would make his ball club better, and perhaps a trade for the Marlins' ace could be just that.