Red Sox Linked To Cy Young Winner Who Would Fix Rotation

If the Boston Red Sox can land one more high-end starter this offseason, there's no reason why this team cannot make a very deep run in 2026.

Boston has so much talent already in the big leagues, one of the better farm systems in baseball, and proved last offseason that it can be aggressive when it sees fit. All of that is to say, don't sleep on the Red Sox.

One name that has been brought up since the summer is Sandy Alcántara of the Miami Marlins. He's a former Cy Young Award winner and Boston reportedly pursued him, but didn't get a deal done. The Athletic's Jim Bowden threw a little more fuel on the fire by having him as the sixth-most-likely player who could be traded this offseason and throwing Boston out there as a team "likely" to pursue him.

"The Marlins shopped Alcántara in earnest at the trade deadline but they couldn’t get the top prospect return they wanted and decided to hold him and reevaluate this offseason," Bowden said. "Next season, Alcántara will be another year removed from his Tommy John surgery, which bodes well for his chances of returning to his Cy Young form. This year, he made 31 starts and logged 174 2/3 innings, proving that he’s healthy. He also improved as the season went on — his second-half ERA was 3.33.

Boston needs to call the Marlins to see what Sandy Alcántara costs

Sep 26, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara (22) returns to the dugout against the New York Mets during the fourth inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

"The Marlins hold a team option for Alcántara for 2027, so he’s under team control for two more seasons. If Miami doesn’t get the asking price it wants this winter, the team will just hold onto him until next year’s trade deadline, giving him further time to get back to his accustomed level of dominance. Teams likely to have interest include the Red Sox, Angels, Astros, Orioles, and Yankees."

Alcántara is 30 years old and under contract at just over $17 million in 2026 and has a $21 million club option for 2027. With the high price tag for pitchers right now and financial decisions to make on the roster -- like trying to bring back Alex Bregman -- bringing a guy like Alcántara in at a price tag that actually would be less than the qualifying offer is too good an idea to pass up. He was the 2022 National League Cy Young Award winner with a 2.28 ERA in 32 starts.

He didn't have a good 2025 season with a 5.36 ERA in 31 starts after missing the 2024 season, but he turned it around late. Alcántara actually had a 3.13 ERA in his final 12 starts and a 7-3 record. If the Red Sox could get that guy for two seasons just for prospects, that's the move that would move the needle for the organization while also not breaking the bank.

A rotation starting with Crochet, Alcántara, Bello, either Connelly Early or Payton Tolle, and another veteran would give Boston exactly what it needs on that front. Then, it would just need to find a way to keep Bregman and adding another power bat and then there's a real argument Boston would be favorites in the American League in 2026.

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