Red Sox Named Blockbuster Trade Landing Spot For $56 Million Ex-Cy Young Winner

Is this the right fit for Boston at the deadline?

Apr 18, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Miami Marlins pitcher Sandy Alcantara (22) takes the field before a game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

As the Boston Red Sox close out the first month of the season, there are some positives to take away, and some negatives as well.

First, it looks as though the Red Sox will at least be in the playoff hunt all season. They're 14-12, only a game and a half back of the New York Yankees for first place, and they haven't played anything close to their best baseball. That's also reassuring, because it means they'll likely be trade deadline buyers.

On the other hand, the Boston starting rotation has been a mixed bag. Tanner Houck has faltered, Richard Fitts went on the injured list, and somehow, Sean Newcomb has made a start all five trips through the rotation so far.

Looking ahead to that trade deadline, it seems as though starting pitching could once again be a priority for the Red Sox. Could they go after the presumptive biggest fish available on the market?

In a recent article, NESN's Mike Cole named Miami Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara, the unanimous 2022 National League Cy Young Award winner, as a realistic trade fit for the Red Sox to pursue at the Jul. 31 deadline.

"The results haven’t been great," Cole wrote. "(Alcantara is) averaging 97 mph on his fastball, though, so it’s not exactly a stuff issue. The walk rate has exploded, and he’s giving up a lot of loud contact, two undeniable pieces of evidence command isn’t there — yet."

"It would be interesting if the Red Sox — or any team — called up the Marlins to talk about the right-hander now and see if it can’t get him at a slight discount before he figures it out and the price naturally increases before the deadline."

Alcantara unfortunately isn't off to a very good start to the season through five starts of his own. He did go six innings for the first time since his return from Tommy John surgery on Wednesday, but his ERA stood at 6.56 after the outing against the Cincinnati Reds.

However, this is a pitcher with a long track record of shutting opponents down and pitching deep into games. The Red Sox still have the prospect capital to outbid most other suitors for Alcantara, too, if that's the route they decide to go.

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