As the season continues, the Miami Marlins have gotten off to a rough start. The Marlins are 15-24, while they are also 3-7 in their last ten. Many of their best players are either slumping or are just horrible. However, things are only getting worse for the rebuilding team. The team’s one ace, the biggest trade chip this offseason, has been causing teams to run away.
The Struggles Continue For Marlins’ Ace
Â
A Trade for Sandy Alcantara? Yeah Right!
At first, it seemed like Sandy Alcantara was going to be the talk of the trade deadline. The New York Yankees, New York Mets, and Chicago Cubs were all seen as potential suitors for the ace. However, such a trade is looking more and more unattractive as the season moves along. The former Cy Young Award winner has been less than impressive to begin the season. However, Alcantara hasn’t just been struggling- he’s been floundering in almost every start so far this season (get it?)
Alcantara has a 2-5 record to begin the season, and even worse, he has been pitching an 8.10 ERA with just 31 Ks in eight starts. Alcantara’s last start against the Chicago White Sox was a perfect example of his struggles so far. Alcantara was able to strike out eight over five and a 2/3 innings, but still walked three and allowed four earned runs. The start before that? Five earned runs, and before, seven earned runs, three earned runs, six earned runs, four earned runs, and finally, two earned runs.
Marlins Need Alcantara to Step Up Soon
For every start this season, and that is eight starts, Alcantara has allowed at least two earned runs in each start. Walks have also been an issue, as Alcantara has 21 walks already compared to 50 walks in 2022, when he started 33 games and won the Cy Young. Alcantara has been bad all around, and unless he can return to star form soon, no team, unless they are the Baltimore Orioles, will be willing to pay for Alcantara. Coming into 2024, Miami hoped for another magical run led by good pitching with some good hitting from veterans. However, coming into 2025, Miami knew the goal was to rebuild and trade.
Alcantara is one of the biggest players when it comes to important trades. If the former Cy Young winner continues to pitch like he’s a Colorado Rockie, then the Marlins will have taken a major hit to their goal of getting good prospects for the future.
Marlins Lack Players to Trade
To say the least, as a result of Alcantara’s abysmal beginning to the season, the question remains: How will Miami benefit from the trade deadline? All of Miami’s starters have literally been atrocious except for Max Meyer. Even with that, however, Miami clearly doesn’t have any starters to give at the deadline. The only option left, and not a good one for such a bad team, is to trade relievers.
Players that come to mind include Calvin Faucher, Jesus Tinoco, and Anthony Bender. Unfortunately, none of these players is going to get the Marlins’ massive pieces. This leads Miami to wonder how exactly they will get anything at the deadline. Even players who felt like they could be important at the deadline, such as Jesus Sanchez, who has significant power, have faltered. What remains is hope for Miami. Hope for Alcantara and others to turn things around quickly.
Overall, the one player that Miami needed to trade and knew they could get a lot for has been pretty bad. The result? A team that needs to rebuild is left with absolutely nothing unless Alcantara can turn things around. The future of the Marlins in the next few seasons could be determined by how good the former Cy Young Award winner is before the deadline comes around.
Main Image: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images
