Sandy Alcantara Finally Rises from his Fantasy Baseball Grave in this MLB Mock Trade
At his very best, Sandy Alcantara is a Cy Young-caliber pitcher. The fact that the market is very alive right now is that MLB trade rumors loom large. The Marlins have also voiced that they are open for business, and with that said, we must keep our attention on this matter. If Alcantara is traded away, it will matter a great deal for us fantasy baseball managers. Today, we will project one of those likely scenarios in which Alcantara heads to the Baltimore Orioles.
Fantasy Baseball Impact
The only truly affecting factor for a pitcher will be the number of wins he gains. With that, we ask how his supporting offense compares on his current team to his potential new team.
The Orioles are a much better offense than the Marlins on paper. In WRC+, the Orioles average 114.8 per batter, while the Marlins average 97.7, or nearly 20% less in offensive value. Whether Alcantara would pitch at the top or bottom of the Orioles rotation will matter little. As an Oriole, his value will rise a few spots in the starting pitcher week-by-week rankings.
Alcantara is currently the SP45 in fantasy baseball. Where we may imagine Alcantara as an Oriole, we may slot him into the top 40. He came back from injury in 2025 to pitch to an ERA over 5.00, so your hope will be a gamble on his upside, which last posted an elite ERA of 2.28 in 2022.
Mock Trade Details
Orioles Get:
- SP, Sandy Alcantara
Marlins Get:
- OF, Enrique Bradfield Jr.
- OF, Heston Kjerstad
- SP, Cade Povich
Why the Orioles Accept the Trade
The Baltimore Orioles currently have a good, but volatile, pitching rotation. They have just optioned Dean Kremer to Triple-A, and they do so while keeping Chris Bassitt and Zach Eflin up as 32+ year-old pitchers that post > 4.00 ERAs. As the team develops, the Orioles may be willing to deal for a veteran like Alcantara, especially if he posts better numbers through his first 5+ starts.
The advantage that the Orioles have is depth. The team has a bunch of expendable prospects, and by being a moderate AL contender, they will be willing to move a couple of these assets to gain a young star with big upside in Alcantara.
Why the Marlins Accept the Trade
The Marlins have Alcantara through 2026, with a club option for 2027. That club option that the team has will require them to pay Alcantara $21 million. The team, which is in the midst of a rebuild, may not wish to make that payment. They may be much better suited to deal off Alcantara while his value remains and, in turn, get three young, high-upside assets.
Kjerstad is hurt at the moment, but is due back soon as a top outfield prospect. Bradfield Jr. is a former first-round pick, and the Orioles have a huge surplus at the position. The team then gets Povich, another lucrative prospect, and the Orioles have 5 other starting pitchers ranked among their top-20 prospects.
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Thomas Carelli is a sportswriter based on Northern New Jersey. He is a massive New York Jets and Mets fan, but that is not where is sports fandom stops. He loves to watch and play golf, all things football, baseball, and much more. If he can watch it, he will. Thomas graduated from William Paterson University in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Management. He spent 4 years working at a local golf course, volunteered past PGA events, and spent some part-time experience with the New York Jets events team. His passions for sport runs deep and his articles show for it.