The Marlins’ late-July skid may have opened a door the White Sox should at least walk up to and knock on.
Miami looked like a team ready to chase the postseason on July 9, when it finished a sweep of the Seattle Mariners and moved to 52-42. The Marlins had ripped off a 20-6 June, then opened July at 6-2, and the whole picture pointed toward a club in position to make noise in the National League.
Then came the collapse: 12 straight losses from July 10-26, a run that finally ended Monday night against the Phillies. At 53-54 and four teams out of the final Wild Card spot, Miami’s deadline outlook looks a lot different than it did two weeks ago.
That shift matters because the Marlins have pieces other teams would want, and one name stands out for Chicago: Sandy Alcantara.
The 30-year-old right-hander hasn’t been the same pitcher since his 2022 Cy Young season, when he posted a 2.28 ERA across 32 starts and threw six complete games. His ERA jumped to 4.14 the next year before an elbow injury cut that season short.
Tommy John surgery wiped out his entire 2024 campaign, and when he returned in 2025, he finished with a 5.36 ERA in 31 starts. This season has been better, though still not peak Alcantara.
He owns a 4.01 ERA in 22 starts, and one of those outings was a complete-game shutout against the White Sox earlier this year.
Contract control is where Miami’s decision gets tricky. Alcantara has a team option for 2027 worth $21 million and is set to become a free agent after that season.
That gives the Marlins a choice: deal him now while there’s still value, or keep him and risk getting nothing if he leaves after 2027. Miami has never operated like a big spender, and it’s hard to imagine the club paying the kind of money Alcantara will likely want once he reaches free agency.
Still, if the Marlins think they can contend in 2027, holding him remains on the table.
For the White Sox, the fit is obvious. Alcantara’s game is built on innings, and Chicago needs exactly that.
He has gone at least six innings in 18 of his 22 starts this season, and his 228.2 innings in 2022 were the most by any pitcher in a season since 2016. Meanwhile, in the White Sox’s last 22 games, Sean Burke is the only starter to reach six innings in a game.
That kind of workload is brutal on a bullpen, and if Chicago wants to stay in control of the AL Central, it needs more starters who can work deep into games.
The money also lines up. Reports say the White Sox are willing to take on salary in deadline deals, so adding Alcantara’s $21 million for 2027 would not be a major obstacle if they believe he can still anchor a rotation.
What Miami would want back is the bigger question. A trade would likely require a meaningful prospect package, especially since Alcantara can still help the Marlins in 2027.
At the same time, he’s no longer being viewed as the true ace he once was, which complicates the market. Even so, it’s the kind of conversation Chris Getz and the White Sox should be having.
With the team reportedly “casting a wide net” for starting pitching, Alcantara would be a logical name to check on.
Two weeks ago, the idea felt like a reach. After Miami’s collapse, it looks a lot more realistic.
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