The Miami Marlins are no longer operating like a team ready to tear things down. With the deadline approaching and a surprising run pushing them into the postseason picture, they’ve made a major call on Sandy Alcantara: he’s staying put.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that, “Barring an utter collapse, the hottest team in baseball not only intends to keep staff ace Sandy Alcantara, but also add strategically to its roster, according to people briefed on the club's plans who were granted anonymity to speak freely,”
That’s a significant shift for a club that has usually lived on the selling side of the trade market in recent years. Miami has already moved Edward Cabrera and Ryan Weathers over the offseason, and Alcantara had been one of the biggest names generating trade buzz for months.
Now, though, the Marlins are taking the former Cy Young right-hander off the board and planning to ride with him as they chase a playoff spot.
The timing makes sense given where Miami sits. The Marlins are 52-42, tied with the Philadelphia Phillies for one of the Wild Card spots, and just 3.0 games behind the Atlanta Braves in the NL East.
They’ve also been one of the hottest teams in the sport. Miami was the best team in MLB in June, and it has kept rolling into July, losing only two games this month while putting together six straight wins and back-to-back series sweeps.
Alcantara hasn’t been at his Cy Young peak, but he’s still been a major part of the club’s success. In 19 starts, he has a 4.00 ERA and a 10-4 record. That’s enough to make him a huge piece if the Marlins keep this run going and hold onto a postseason position.
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Third base is one obvious area to watch, with Isaac Paredes and Eugenio Suarez among the names floating around, while the pitching side could lead Miami toward a deeper market of starters and relievers. The list of possible bullpen fits is broad enough to show how many different paths the club could take, and it leaves the bigger question hanging: how aggressive will the Marlins be when the market starts to move? [Read more 🡒]
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The latest roster move only adds to the sense that Miami has real staying power, even as it manages a few bumps along the way. Owen Caissie is on the 10-day injured list with a mild right calf injury, and the club has already had to adjust around that absence while keeping its recent momentum intact, a reminder that the Marlins are no longer just chasing the Braves but trying to hold their place in a crowded postseason race. [Read more 🡒]
Otto Lopez Just Reached A Marlins Milestone Nobody Saw Coming
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Lopezs production has been impossible to ignore, even in a clubhouse that has suddenly found a rhythm from top to bottom. Janson Junk also gave Miami a needed boost in his return from injury, working five innings in his first appearance since mid-May, and now the attention shifts to a Guardians series that begins with Sandy Alcantara on the mound. [Read more 🡒]