MLB Mock Blockbuster Trade: Miami Marlins Deal Sandy Alcantara to New York Mets

Miami Marlins right-hander Sandy Alcantara continues to not resemble his former Cy Young self. But that hasn't stopped the rumor mill around the starting pitcher.

Baseball pundits have linked Alcantara to just about every contender, especially the big market ones, over the past few weeks.

On Monday, SNY's Danny Abriano asked whether or not the New York Mets should pursue Alcantara at the trade deadline. Albriano listed both a few pros and cons for the Mets executing such a trade.

Ultimately, Abriano concluded he would prefer the Mets not acquire Alcantara. But let's go ahead and explore what an Alcantara trade to the Mets could look like should New York pry the right-hander from its division rival.

Miami Marlins-New York Mets Mock Trade

Miami Marlins receive Mets No. 1 prospect and shortstop/outfielder Jett Williams and No. 4 prospect and right-handed pitcher Nolan McLean.

New York Mets receive right-hander Sandy Alcantara.

While Alcantara hasn't pitched well this season, baseball analysts continue to predict the Marlins to receive a big prospect return for the right-hander if he is traded at the 2025 deadline.

That's one of Albriano's biggest cons for the Mets acquiring Alcantara.

"When you combine Alcantara's Cy Young upside, his relative youth, his cost, and the team control, it becomes a situation where the Marlins can pit teams against one another until they get an offer that bowls them over. If not, they can hold him until the offseason and hope he rediscovers his Cy Young form between now and then," wrote Albriano.

"The exact return for Alcantara will depend on the type of prospects the Marlins are seeking to headline a deal (pitchers or position players) and their preference when it comes to those prospects' proximity to the majors (are they prioritizing guys who are close to contributing or not).

"And it's fair to believe the Mets would lose not just one of their most valued prospects, but two or three of them."

I proposed the Mets send two of their top five prospects to Miami. With such a move, the Marlins received quality over quantity because most trade proposals for Alcantara probably contain three prospects instead of two.

But with Williams and McLean, Miami would receive two players already stars at least at the Double-A level.

Any team acquiring Alcantara would be doing so in the hopes that he will regain his Cy Young form. The right-hander went 14-9 with a 2.28 ERA, 0.980 WHIP and 207 strikeouts in 228.2 innings on his way to the award in 2022.

But he was 7-12 with a 4.14 ERA in 2023 and then missed all of last season because of Tommy John surgery. This year, he is 4-9 with a 7.22 ERA, 1.484 WHIP and 71 strikeouts in 91 innings.

Because of those poor numbers, an Alcantara trade is rather complicated. He has the potential to be an ace, which should make his price high. Because he has multiple years of team control left on his contract, the Marlins don't have a lot of motivation to move him either, so it could take a really big package for Miami to move on from the right-hander.

But there's a lot of risk for a contender to take on Alcantara since he really hasn't pitched very well in three years.